I was thinking about glass and wandered what the differences are between crystal and glass they look the same, yet one is exceptionally dearer than the other, this is what I found out.
Crystal and glass are composed of different materials, with crystal lending itself to a greater shine as well as more intricate designs. While glass is made from sand that has been liquified, crystal sets itself apart with something known as flint glass.
With glass it is made from liquid sand, you can make glass by heating ordinary sand which is mostly made of silicon dioxide until it melts and turns into a liquid a cross between a solid and a liquid with some of the crystalline order of a solid and some of the molecular randomness of a liquid. This is heated at very high temperatures of 1700°C (3090°F).
Three ingredients are needed which are placed in clay pottery crucible, the crucible is placed on a ledge inside a kiln and a fire is lit. Eventually the fire turns the sand potash limestone into glass. When cooled down you have a glass ingot.
In nature, glasses are formed when sand, rocks, often high in silica which is a natural compound, found all around us in nature. Silica makes up over a quarter of the planet’s crust and can be found in most rocks, clays, and sands. Its forms include emerald, quartz, clay.
Glassware is heated to high temperatures and then cooled rapidly. The Glass in Nature display shows specimens of glass made in nature. Obsidian volcanic rock which is normally black is molten rock that has quickly cooled, becoming rock in a glassy state.
Glass tends to be stronger than crystal, which is the reason crystal glassware is often reserved for special occasions, while everyday glass is for everyday basis, furthermore with crystal due to the high lead content, crystal rings when tapped ever so gently and is heavier than common glassware.
So, glass is Sand (SiO2 silica) In its pure form it exists as a polymer, (SiO2) Soda ash (sodium carbonate Na2CO3) Limestone (calcium carbonate or CaCo3) or dolomite (MgCO3)
River sand can be heated to the point that it becomes glass, but unprocessed, natural river sand may not have ideal percentages of silica and often contains impurities that will negatively affect the finished glass in terms of colour, clarity, and workability depending on the type and purity of the sand.
Where crystal is composed of different material, with crystal lending itself to a greater shine as well as more intricate designs, while glass is made from sand that has been liquified crystal sets itself apart with something know as flint glass has high dispersion. Some companies such as Swarovski and Waterford still use real lead which is why their crystal is so expensive. … Generally, glassware made from lead is safe if used for relatively short periods of tim so you are unlikely to get sick drinking out of a Waterford Crystal glass.
Most glass made in the United States today is soda-lime glass which is a combination of lime, silica (sand), and soda. This is cheap glass no harm, no foul, no big investment. On the other hand, crystal is made of silica (sand), lead oxide, and soda. It is both beautiful and strong.
Historically lead glass decanters were used by the rich to store wines such as port and sherry.
SallyGilson 