Have you ever wondered what makes glass good quality or not? Perhaps you have been eyeing down a beautiful pair of glasses for your kitchen and you are wondering if it’s a good idea to invest in that specific pair or not. You’re doing a great job by looking it up beforehand and reading this blog. Some glass is a lot less quality than others and it’s important to do your research before choosing the glass. Keep reading as our glass company will explain how to find out if the glass is good quality or not.
It’s important to note what the ingredients in glassware should be so that you can identify when they are raw materials. If the glass is soda-lime, borosilicate or lead crystal, this is a good sign. In fact, lead crystal is the most expensive. It’s a good idea to check the percentage of lead in there. In many cases, the manufacturer may not be able to tell you because they don’t know. If you are looking at a more expensive piece, they should be able to tell you or at least to find out.
There are different ways of producing glass that you will want to look into which will tell you if it is good quality or not. There are two main ways, mouth or machine. The mouth-blown which is also called free-blown soda-lime or lead crystal should never have mold marks. These means that it has been molded to the machine. It’s noticeable, you want to stay away unless it is a very low-cost glass. If it is low cost and there are mold marks, they may have skipped the step for hand-labor in order to polish the glass which would take the mold marks out but also make it more expensive.
You are able to examine the glassware yourself and ensure that it has good quality standards and does not have these marks. You can quickly tell by comparing glass or even seeing a glass that is not good quality that it has not been made with care and finished correctly.
The next part of the glass to look at is the rims. You want to see if they are smooth, polished, and have the same amount of thickness as the rest of the glass. The walls of the glass can range in width depending on the style of the glass. If you have a lead glass, it should not only feel thicker but heavier as well. Although the choice of the thickness is your style and your personal opinion and the style you are going for, they still should feel slighter thicker and heavier than what you originally thought. This means they are of better quality glass. The only exception when it comes to this rule is if your glasses are made with safedge. This means they are made with an open cut along the edge of the glass which makes it rounded or even have a thicker rim. If you believe the glass is good quality and it does have this, you can always ask to see if it is safedge. If it does, you know the glass is just uniquely made and is still good quality. Another exception is for wine glasses. Some wine rooms like to have a thinner glass so the wine ends up feeling light and goes well with the drink itself.
The base of the glass is the next area that is important to look at. You want your glass to feel balanced and not at all unbalanced. You want these glasses to last you a long time and them falling over is the easiest way for them not to last you. You also don’t want them making any marks on your table. Make sure you check the bottom of each glass and fun your hand along it. It should be smooth to the touch and that also means it has been polished.
Next is clarity. You don’t want a glass that is actually hard to see through, it makes it look dirty or old. Better quality glasses means you can easily see through it. They can also have tiny bubbles in them that gives it a hand-crafted look and makes it look a little unique. This is much more popular with mouth-blown glass.
The final part we want to discuss is the color. Similar to the clarity, you don’t want it looking blurry at all. You want it to be completely transparent. Once you look at this and the other parts of the glass, you will be able to tell if it is good quality or not.
As you can see, there are a lot of different ways you can find out if the glass is of good quality or not. Make sure you take the time to ensure you are not getting ripped off and getting the glass that you are paying for. By going through some of these steps you will be sure to have glass that will last you for years to come. For more information about glass quality, contact us today.
Author, Freelance writer