Crystal Glasses

People like to use crystal glasses because of their brilliance and sparkle.  They hold wine in a different way from regular glass, making it look more appealing.  The way that a crystal glass catches light is also more elegant and clear.  But before you go out and purchase crystal glasses, there are some things you need to know about the glass itself that you may not have heard before.  Did you know that the manufacture of crystal glass involves lead?  That right, the lead replaces a lot of the calcium that is used to make regular glass and gives the glass that sparkle.  Crystal glass is actually made of lead crystal, though the word 'lead' is omitted as most people know of the detrimental health effects of ingesting lead in food or water.  So does this make crystal glasses unsafe?  The answer is that crystal wine glasses like the well known Waterford crystal glasses may be fine because the contents to be consumed are only in contact with the glass for a short period of time.  There are recommendations that pregnant women and children refrain from ever using crystal glasses or other items made from crystal glass for eating or drinking, however.  In contrast to bried usage, using crystal glass to store food or drinks is considered a health risk as the lead from the glass is more likely to leach into whatever is being stored.  There is even some evidence that gout is related to lead poisoning caused by the use of crystal glassware. 
Of course, some people can use a crystal wine glass all their lives and live be ripe and healthy.  Personal judgment is the key here.  Health Canada recommends soaking new lead crystal wine glasses in vinegar for 24 hours to take out some of the lead.  This means that if you actually have vinegar stored in crystal glass containers, you will want to not use that vinegar for food!  

If you do decide to go with crystal glasses, it's good to know some of the main manufacturers.  Besides Waterford crystal wine glasses, which have been around for over four hundred years, Stuart wine glasses are also held in high regard, as are Bohemia crystal glasses.  These companies also make crystal champagne glasses for those who like the bubbly.  And although you will be able to buy crystal drinking glasses from such companies, you might want to think twice about using them as your regular drinking glasses for reasons we've already discussed.  Stuart wine glasses are actually no longer produced, so if you want glasses made from this company, you may have to search a bit to find them.  Companies like Discontinued Designs carry crystal glasses and other items that are no longer made.  The fact that such products can still be sold profitably is a testament to their quality, as many were handmade by skilled artisans.

Different types of drinkware made from crystal include lead crystal as well as non-lead crystal, blown crystal, and cut crystal.  Lead crystal obviously uses lead to achieve brilliance, while non-lead uses barium oxide.  Although only lead crystal is considered true crystal, glass made with barium oxide also achieves a high degree of brilliance and clarity.  Blown crystal is made by either a person of by machine.  Cut crystal is made by taking a blown crystal glass and carving it surface, adding facets, flutes, and other decorative details.  This is often done by hand, which explains the higher cost of certain cut crystal glasses.  

Crystal glasses are rather delicate and need to be handled with care, especially when you clean them. The high temperatures in a dishwasher may cause them to break, as can using too much pressure when hand washing. Wash crystal ware gently by hand and use a soft discloth for drying, as crystal glass is fragile and scratches easily. Never pour a liquid that is very hot or cold into a crystal glass, as this can easily shatter it.

When buying crystal glasses, remember that although manufacturers and even the FDA say that glasses made of lead crystal are find to use for drinking wine, know that they still leach lead into whatever you are drinking, just in amounts that are small enough for these entities to call "safe". But if pregnant women and children are told to not use these glasses for this purpose, it indicates that perhaps it is better not to use lead crystal at all. Happily, manufacturers are aware of the situation with lead leaching and there are more non-lead choices available today. For anyone who cares about their health and doesn't feel the need to get a certain fine design that may only be available in lead crystal, using one of the lead free designs is the way to go.