Antique Crystal or Glass?

There are few antiques that, if well maintained, can look as beautiful as the day they were made - crystal is one of them. It is also why new glass is hard to identify from old glass unless there are tell tale features that differentiates them. These types of details are usually known to the collector but not the general onlooker. It is also why a lot of truly old crystal is lumped in with crystal that is much newer and why estate sales, flea markets and garage sales are a good place to find some choice pieces.

There are, however, some simpler ways to tell the good quality crystal from simply cut glass, and the new from the old. Here are some tips:

  1. Watch for wear under the base of the object.

This is where a jeweler's loup or magnifying glass helps however you should be able to get a lot of information even without one.

Pieces that either 1. are not old or 2: have never been moved in 100 years will have very little wear. The latter is not too likely since people move things around in their cabinets occasionally and use them so wear is one of the first things you look for to determine age.

You should see scratches that go in all directions in a cross hatching type of pattern. If the scratches all go in the same more or less circular direction there is a good chance that someone is attempting a little fakery here.

Also, if the wear is perfectly even, that's another danger signal. Most hand cut or hand blown items (such as the decanter to the left) do not have a perfectly even base so you will see more wear on "high points".

2. Look at the Colour

Colour or lack of colour is another indicator of what you have. Cut glass, when placed next to cut crystal is decidedly more yellow .Occasionally you may come across some pieces that are purplish in tone. Although this may indicate good age, it really only indicates that there is a high level of manganese in the glass and it causes the object to turn purplish when exposed to the sunlight.

         

Crystal has a high content of lead which is what gives it its beautiful clarity and brilliance. Perhaps you have seen historic some homes of the early 1900's that still have their original beveled glass windows. Their reflections and sparkling beveled glass are due to their high lead content.

 

3. Look at the Stopper

This is a mid quality crystal decanter made in the 1970's. You can tell it by the shape of the piece but you can especially tell by the stopper.

In the decanter shown in image one, there is a great deal of wear around the lip of the decanter indicating that the stopper was removed and replaced a lot over the years. It is exactly what you want to see.

Another reason however has to do with the way that stoppers were manufactured many years ago. The stopper was created at exactly the same time as the bottle. The stopper then fits perfectly. How to test? Place the stopper in the decanter and apply a bit of pressure onto it. You should be able to pick up the bottle by the stopper. Do this over a bed or something else that is soft in order to cushion the fall should the stopper not support the decanter.

 

4. Feel the Surface

From approximately 1880 and 1915 a type of crystal known as American Brilliant became all the rage. This was an affluent time for both the wealthy (especially the wealthy) and the middle class and this beautifully clear, hand cut crystal graced many homes.

It is characterized by its heavy weight, brilliant clarity, and its deep hand cut complex designs. Anything that could be made out of glass was made out of crystal and this period gave rise to many unique shapes, styles and motifs. Even cars had crystal holders attached

Feel the surface. Does it feel smooth but rough from all the cut surfaces? Look at it under a loup or magnifying glass. You should be able to see the marks made by the cutting wheel.

Glass that is not hand cut will be absolutely smooth with no cutting wheel marks anywhere on the piece.