Author: chris

Lower quality machines produce products which are not as high quality as fully automatic machines. Often, small bubbles or marks in the blown glass are present.

Full automatic machines, costing many hundreds or thousands of pounds, have sand and oxides mixed at one end and packaged (almost perfect) blown glass products come out at the other..!

Will usually contain more hallmarks of handmade items, due to high production volumes for a budget price.

Factories producing higher volumes of blown glass have less stringent rules for quality control. Although our factories limit the quantity and size, the bubbles and seeds present, should be looked upon as hallmarks of genuine hand made products.

Mouth blown products have ‘seeds’ or bubbles. A high quality factory limits these in their quality control. Small bubbles are the hallmark of hand made products and are valued as such.

Jade edged glass, used for flat and curved glass awards. Clear, when viewed from the front. No bubbles or striation.

Soda glass is the least expensive mix of all glass. Weight depends on thickness. Used for mouth blowing, resulting in good quality finish. Also, used in machine making for a ‘budget option’.

Crystal~Glass has 10% or more lead oxide (or 10% or more, of zinc, barium, or potash, alone, or mixed) in the glass mix. Clearer than soda glass and better reflected colour.

24% or more lead oxide in the glass mix. Heavier than ‘crystal’ or soda glass and better reflected colour.

Optically perfect, no bubbles, seeds or striation. 98% light translucence. Same material as used for spectacles, binoculars and camera lenses. Heavier than 24% lead crystal.