Long, Lean and Elegant.Our Crystal Flutes Are Sparking Even Before You Add the Champagne!
By: Allen Franklin
Submitted: 2010-01-22 20:41:03 | Word Count: 539
Crystal glassware
Crystal glassware is a terminology that was coined prior to the Second World War in the 1920’s for the yellowish green color or Uranium glass. The name was coined because of how the color the glass resembled the color of the petroleum jelly (Vaseline) that was being manufactured and sold at the time. Crystal glassware is defined as being semi transparent or transparent uranium glass in a yellowish green color by specialized collectors. In the US today, Crystal glassware is used as a synonym for Uranium glass.
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Its popularity began in the 1800’s and witnessed its most popular usage between 1880 and 1920. Although the usage of the term is not universal, the name is incorrectly applied to other glassware based on how the glass appears in normal light. Uranium content is usually determined by subjecting the glass to a blacklight test where the presence of uranium is verified by a fluorescent green appearance.
In Australia and England, Crystal glassware refers sometimes refers to numerous types of transparent glass. In the US, Crystal glassware refers to those types of glass that have a “greasy” surface luster and are transparent. The production of uranium glasses came to a halt in the middle of World War II because the US began confiscating Uranium and uranium related supplies. Production of these types of glassware did not begin again until nearly the end of the 1950’s.
Home Use and Safety Issues
Because of the name of the glass (Uranium glass), there is the common misconception that the glass contains the dangerously unstable form of radioactive Uranium. This is an incorrect assumption since the glass is manufactured with Uranium Dioxide, a completely stable material. So its use in the home is not a concern since the glass itself serves as a barrier or shield to any form of radiation.
Products Available for the Home
There is a wide array of Crystal glassware items that you can find offline or online today, ranging anywhere from collectible items that date back to the 1800’s to the more modern items used in the home both for decoration purposes as well as serving foods. Retail sites such as ours feature numerous Crystal glassware items as they are as popular today as they ever were, although the focus is typically placed on the collectible aspects of these items.
Typical home use items include candlestick holders, votive eye candle holders, glass pitchers, glasses and mugs, and even salt cellars. What makes Crystal glassware items so unique compared to other household or serving items is that it is not only decorative, but practical as well because the items have a variety of home use applications. Items that are manufactured from this material also make great gift considerations as well, especially when you know that the person is an avid collector of Crystal glassware items.
Just remember to be extremely thorough when searching for these items because the quality varies from one manufacturer to the next. For this reason, it is advisable that you see the item in person so you can inspect the quality of it. However, most dealers on the internet today are very reputable and allow you to return items if you are dissatisfied with the quality of it.
