When we're shopping, each of us has a category that speaks to us. Sepi loves art, JP loves copper, Kelsey loves stoneware, and I love glassware. I especially love vintage crystal. Crystal isn't necessarily better than glass, it's just different.
When shopping one November with Sepi she asked me "how can I tell crystal from glass?" The simple answer: crystal sings. When tapped, crystal makes a long, bell-like sound, while glass makes a short, dull chime.
Glass is made from sand, soda ash and limestone, and crystal has added minerals such as barium and zinc* which makes it stronger and clearer than glass, so it can be made thinner than glass and has a special sparkle.
Because crystal is stronger than glass, it can be engraved with more intricate patterns and engraved more deeply than glass.
Some of our favorite vintage crystal to collect:
Baccarat
Baccarat is a French luxury house and manufacturer of fine crystal located in Baccarat, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France in operation since 1764. The original factory produced window panes, mirrors and glassware.
It was only in 1930 that Baccarat began engraving their mark into their glassware. So to identify a piece of vintage Baccarat crystal, one must know the catalog of styles and be able to recognize the Baccarat silhouettes. That's part of the fun.
Crystallerie Saint Louis
Saint Louis is the oldest crystal manufacturer in France with roots dating back to the 1500s. Saint Louis tends to be heavy and intricately cut with beautiful designs. Typically the pieces are marked with a gold paper label and with a round etched stamp.
Daum
For collectors, Daum is a name in the first rank of the French makers of art glass, along with those of Émile Gallé and René Lalique. Led in its early decades by the brothers Auguste (1853–1909) and Antonin Daum (1864–1931), the company, based in the city of Nancy, established its reputation in the Art Nouveau period, and later successfully adopted the Art Deco style.
In 1878, lawyer Jean Daum took over the ownership of a glassworks as payment for a debt and installed his sons as proprietors. Initially, Daum made glass for everyday purposes that Gallé enjoyed at the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris — the international showcase for which the Eiffel Tower was built — inspired the Daum brothers to begin making art-glass pieces.
We find beautiful lamps, glass coupes and ashtrays in the markets. Daum pieces can be identified by a hand engraved daum signature.
*Prior to 1970, lead was used in crystal to create strength and sparkle. You can safely use your vintage crystal stemware and barware to serve wine, water and other beverages No liquid stays in the glass long enough during any meal to leach lead that exceeds any EPA standards.