All Crystal Is Glass, But Not All Glass is Crystal

One of the crystal "eagles" on a black marble base,
available here at Loria.

Here at Loria, we strive to offer a wide variety of awards, spanning many different materials and designs.  Among the most popular, over the years, has been the attractive look of glass and crystal awards.  At a glance, there doesn't appear to be much of a difference in the "look" of the material.  But that's at a glance and not a very close look, as we are about to have in this post.  Since our variety of glass and crystal awards just about run the gamut in price-points, it only makes sense to explain why this is.  It's actually a fascinating foray into the world of crystallography and geology.  But don't worry - we won't require you to sit through something comparable to a sixty-minute Smithsonian Channel special on the subject.  Just some fun-facts should suffice in explaining the difference between glass that is just glass and glass that is crystal.

               In a nutshell, the reason for this difference is because all crystal is glass, but not all glass is crystal*.  Glass is a generic term applied to all types of glass.  But crystal is a sub-category of glass with certain properties that other types of glass do not have.  Therefore, they cannot be accurately classified as "crystal".  The general classification of all forms of glass being "glass" is derived from the dictionary definition of the word:  "a hard, brittle substance, typically transparent or translucent, made by fusing sand with soda, lime, and sometimes other ingredients and cooling rapidly".  

The classic look of the crystal
obelisk on a black base.

               But the material known as "crystal" is a unique form of glass, and really the most organic form of it, as it develops within the earth and is mined from the earth - unlike glass which is completely man-made using various ingredients.  Of course, ultimately, the designs that you see in our finished glass and crystal awards are designed, engineered and manufactured by people.  But the actual materials are quite different in how they arrive at the award designer's table.  Naturally forming crystals are mined from crystal caves much like mining for precious gems.  

               One the most prolific if these crystal caves is located in Mexico.  

The Cave of the Crystals (or "Giant Crystal Cave") is a cave connected to the Naica Mine at a depth of 300 meters, in Naica, Mexico (in the Chihuahua region).  The main chamber contains giant selenite crystals, some of the largest natural crystals ever found in the world**.

               Scientifically, true crystals are pure substances whose atoms, molecules or ions are arranged in an ordered pattern, where they extend in all three spatial dimensions.  The purity and orderly design of true crystals recall the metaphoric expression of something being "crystal clear".  This can only come from nature.  Nonetheless, there needed to be some kind of definitive threshold for determining what is "crystal" and what is not crystal in the marketplace.

"Cave of the Crystals" (or the "Giant Crystal Cave")
in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. 

               *According to the European Union in 1969, three specific criteria were established to define "crystal" in the marketplace:  lead content of at least 24%, density of at least 2.90 and a reflective index of 1.545.  The required minimum of 24%  lead content is certainly the most widely recognized distinction among most crystal dealers and crystal awards dealers, as to what separates a particular glass item as "crystal".  Also due to this lead content of at least 24%, there is a very noticeable weight difference when holding a crystal award versus a non-lead glass item of comparable dimensions.  
               The knowledge of this property difference is crucial in concisely informing our customers of what they are paying for when they see the noticeable difference in price.  ("Here, hold the two pieces and you'll feel the difference...", so to speak.)  When a customer marvels at the difference, this also reveals that the customer is concerned not only with the visual impact of an award, but the weight difference.  Why should this matter?  Personal presentation.  When the customer is personally presenting the award at a formal ceremony, and budget is less a concern than impression on the recipient, weight matters.  It's like the topics that carry more weight than others in conversation.  They make an impact and attract more notice.  It just carries more weight (pun totally intended).  Not only that, but the visual brilliance of crystal is far more impressive than glass, specifically when it's sufficiently illuminated.  Light shot through optically flawless faceted crystal (or "cut crystal"), refracts and separates into the colors of the visible spectrum, much like a prism - which makes the purity aspect of crystal something to be coveted.

Egg-shaped glass award, with a swirling,
multi-color glass embedment, on a black
glass base (part of the "Art Glass" award
series at Loria).

              Nonetheless, not to sleight the wide variety of non-crystal glass awards, there are advantages to glass that is not directly mined from the ground.  Man-made glass compounds can be manipulated to the point of composing mixed-media awards that cannot be achieved with mined crystal.  Take, for example, a series of awards known as "Art Glass".  This is one very popular series here at Loria due to the uniqueness of the look, which can only achieved using glass compounds.  Also, as is the case with glass products versus crystal products, they meet the needs of the more budget-conscious customer.
               On that point, it can be said that not all glass awards are the same either because all crystal is glass, but not all glass is crystal.  Furthermore, when it comes to the world of awards, it's crystal clear that there's more to it than meets the eye.

*Information referenced from "Recognition Source" magazine.
**Information referenced from Wikipedia.com.