Discovered in the seventeenth century by an Englishman called George Ravenscroft, lead crystal production involves the adding of lead oxide powder into molten glass which, is then either blow molded or pressed into shape, depending on the manufacturers preference and the complexity of the finished article. To earn the classification of Full Lead Crystal the mixture must contain at least twenty four percent lead oxide and the highest concentration achievable that will allow any kind of workability is thirty three percent. The higher the lead content, the more brilliance the finished article will have. So in order to create a balance between brilliance and workability, most manufacturers aim somewhere in between these two markers.
Once shaping is complete, the crystal is then allowed to slowly cool in an annealing oven prior to any flutes and facets being worked into the moulded product by skilled craftsmen using abrasive cutting tools. For many centuries, the cutting of the flutes and facets into lead crystal was done by hand. However, in the latter years of the nineteenth century, following a visit to the first-ever electrical exhibition in Vienna, Daniel Swarovski...
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