Many of the stemware available in the market right now no longer use lead crystal as material. Many even market themselves as lead-free crystal or glass. What exactly are the concerns about lead crystal and what are the alternatives available in the market now?
To be clear, the popularity of lead crystal as a material is mainly rooted from its superior aesthetic properties. Lead crystal’s higher refractive and dispersion index than ordinary glass’ makes it more brilliant/sparkling and clearer, the most brilliant being those that have 35% lead content (could not be more as glass then starts to disintegrate; most lead crystal have 24% lead content). As an additive, lead oxide has proven to be beneficial for glass craftsmen as it made for a softer raw material that was easier to shape and cut with more ornate patterns. Lead crystal is as well strong, heavy and resilient to breakage.
In recent times however, there has been a growing demand for lead-free crystal. Acidic solutions (such as wine) have been shown to trigger leaching of very small amounts of lead from the crystal into the liquid. The degree of leaching will vary depending on the lead content of the crystal, the acidity of the liquid and the duration of time that the liquid and the crystal have been in contact.
It will be noted though that normal level of leaching involves very minute amounts of lead and are really negligible to be a concern. The risk of danger to one’s health however increases with frequent use. In such case, the accumulated lead may build up in the body, leading to manifestation of symptoms of lead poisoning. At the same time, production of lead crystal is a major risk for those involved in production as they are exposed to lead-laden environments. Disposal of byproducts during manufacturing are also environmental concerns.
As such, those in the glass and crystal industry have aggressively sourced for alternative materials which would simulate the superior aesthetic and physical properties of crystal. They have hence discovered possible alternatives in the following metals: bismuth, barium, strontium, zinc and titanium. These metals have shown to be safe for both consumers and those involved in manufacturing process. The disposal of their byproducts also does not pose a threat to the environment. Best of all, these glass additives can simulate the superior brilliance and durability of lead crystal.
The main alternative metals in crystal today are titanium and magnesium. Glass with the titanium additive does not experience leaching and is lightweight and durable. On the one hand, magnesium as an additive produces a smooth and flexible crystal.
All in all, the usage of the term crystal is no longer limited to lead crystal but to glass using other kinds of additives (the most popular of which are titanium and magnesium). These as well as plain glass are the materials currently being used by the glass and crystal stemware industry.
The variety of stemware being made available to the market continues to expand, reflecting the aggressive innovation sustained by glass makers. Still, some old standards have persisted through the years; wine glasses, champagne flutes, martini glasses, brandy vintners, and liqueur glasses are still the most recognized types of crystal stemware.
Among all these, the three most popular types of crystal stemware for acquisition by first time collectors remain to be 1) wine glasses for both red and white wines, champagne flutes, and more recently, cocktail glasses.
Demand for crystal stemware remains to be particularly buoyant. Based on a study entitled Tabletop Report 2009 (the report is based on a survey among 1,165 American consumers with average income of $98,000 and comprising of 66% female and an average age of 44.2 years), sales for crystal stemware remains buoyant having increased by 7% in the period from 2006 to 2008.
The following trends were also noted by the same study:
Cocktail or martini glasses are becoming more popular. This is true for both classic versions and vintage cocktail shakers. Cocktail glasses are now being used to give a touch of glamour and sophistication to the ambience of special gatherings.
Smaller wine glasses preferred. Smaller wineglasses are becoming popular again for various reasons. For one, people have realized that using smaller wine glasses would allow their expensive wines to be shared by more people and consumed at a slower rate. People have also become more vigilant over the amount of alcohol that they consume.
Demand for cut crystal made in the 1930’s deemed worthy purchase by crystal collectors. They are also more price friendly than antique crystal as they are categorized as second-hand crystal stemware. In addition, some have been found to have designs similar to modern collections.
Mix and match trend. Mixing of old and modern crystal stemware is becoming more commonplace. For instance, wherein the recent past people would only buy champagne flutes, nowadays, people are patronizing both old and modern champagne bowls.
Continuous Innovation
As it is, the crystal stemware industry continues to strive for innovation in their products. Glass makers realize that the industry’s sustained growth is dependent on their ability to come up with new designs and applications. To some extent, the crystal stemware industry is similar to the fashion industry which thrives on radical design innovations (indeed, the line has become more nebulous with some well-known fashion designers launching their own line of crystal stemware; case in point: Vera Wang). For the crystal stemware industry, these initiatives could be undertaken not just to cater to the market’s prevailing design aesthetics but also to launch radical technological improvements in their stemware. A good recent example is the launch of the popular O selection of the Riedel brand which is basically a collection of beautifully designed wine glasses without stems. Introducing these innovations renews interest in these items and creates new, untapped markets for the crystal stemware industry.
The growth of interest in crystal stemware, such items being premium priced and still highly regarded as luxury items, will be dependent on trends in lifestyle and entertaining. And while crystal stemware remains de rigueur for formal gatherings/events, industry insiders are continuously identifying and analyzing socio-cultural trends (e.g., in fashion, home and entertaining) and see if crystal products may find new, untapped market from those leads.
In an earlier post, a description of the main types of crystal stemware available in the market ws provided. Suffice it to say, there are other types of stemware but in as far as the use of crystal is concerned, those mentioned seem to be the most common applications. To reiterate, this includes wine glasses, champagne flutes, martini glasses, brandy vintners, and liqueur glasses.
Among all these, the three most popular types of crystal stemware for acquisition by first time collectors remain to be 1) wine glasses for both red and white wines, champagne flutes, and more recently, cocktail glasses.
Demand for crystal stemware remains to be particularly buoyant. Based on a study entitled Tabletop Report 2009 (the report is based on a survey among 1,165 American consumers with average income of $98,000 and comprising of 66% female and an average age of 44.2 years), sales for crystal stemware remains buoyant having increased by 7% in the period from 2006 to 2008.
The following trends were also noted by the same study:
* Cocktail or martini glasses are becoming more popular. This is true for both classic versions and vintage cocktail shakers. Cocktail glasses are now being used to give a touch of glamour and sophistication to the ambience of special gatherings.
* Smaller wine glasses preferred. Smaller wineglasses are becoming popular again for various reasons. For one, people have realized that using smaller wine glasses would allow their expensive wines to be shared by more people and consumed at a slower rate. People have also become more vigilant over the amount of alcohol that they consume.
* Demand for cut crystal made in the 1930’s deemed worthy purchase by crystal collectors. They are also more price friendly than antique crystal as they are categorized as second-hand crystal stemware. In addition, some have been found to have designs similar to modern collections.
* Mix and match trend. Mixing of old and modern crystal stemware is becoming more commonplace. For instance, wherein the recent past people would only buy champagne flutes, nowadays, people are patronizing both old and modern champagne bowls.
Continuous Innovation
As it is, the crystal stemware industry continues to strive for innovation in their products. Glass makers realize that the industry’s sustained growth is dependent on their ability to come up with new designs and applications. To some extent, the crystal stemware industry is similar to the fashion industry which thrives on radical design innovations (indeed, the line has become more nebulous with some well-known fashion designers launching their own line of crystal stemware; case in point: Vera Wang). For the crystal stemware industry, these initiatives could be undertaken not just to cater to the market’s prevailing design aesthetics but also to launch radical technological improvements in their stemware. A good recent example is the launch of the popular O selection of the Riedel brand which is basically a collection of beautifully designed wine glasses without stems. Introducing these innovations renews interest in these items and creates new, untapped markets for the crystal stemware industry.
The growth of interest in crystal stemware, such items being premium priced and still highly regarded as luxury items, will be dependent on trends in lifestyle and entertaining. And while crystal stemware remains de rigueur for formal gatherings/events, industry insiders are continuously identifying and analyzing socio-cultural trends (e.g., in fashion, home and entertaining) and see if crystal products may find new, untapped market from those leads.
If you have not been exposed all that much to crystal stemware, chances are the name Riedel (pronounced “Rhee-dl”) wouldn’t be all that familiar to you. You may have a vague recollection of the brand name but it will just be one of those brands that you have heard of.
The truth of the matter is, if not for the pioneering efforts of Professor Claus J. Riedel, we would not be enjoying the crystal stemware that we use today. The Riedel brand set the standard by which other makers of high quality crystal stemware are measured against.
While the Riedel family has been involved in the glass making business since the mid 1750s (originally in Bohemia now the Czech Republic), it was Professor Claus Riedel who in the 1950’s pioneered the idea that the kind of glassware used can influence a wine’s taste and aroma/bouquet, subsequently the drinking experience. He changed stemware from its traditional colored and cut-glass design to plain, thin hand-blown, long stemmed wine glasses.
These plain hand-blown glasses were given the seal of approval by experienced wine testers who said that the wine drank from Riedel’s glasses had more depth and better balance. The shape of the glass allows the wine to reach different parts of the bowl and the rim, allowing the wine to impart its best characteristics. Riedel also designed his glasses to hold a small amount of wine relative to the glass’ actual capacity (usually a third of the glass’ volume), allowing the bouquet of the wine to linger inside the glass.
In 1973, the company launched the innovative Sommelier glass series which was comprised of 10 sizes. The design concept of these glasses was trailblazing and would in fact become the foundation for future stemware design. The Sommeliers glasses were considered to be not just merely wine glasses but objects of precision. Each piece was hand-made and mouth-blown with over 24% lead crystal. Riedel demonstrated with his glasses that serving the same wine using different wine glasses could produce marked differences in the taste of the wine.
Does the Wine Glass Really Make a Difference? Still, there are those in the scientific community who don’t believe in the notion that wine glasses can make a marked difference in taste of the wine. The rationale for the differing sizes and rim and bowl designs of Riedel’s glasses is so that they influence the direction of the flow of the wine on the tongue and in the mouth. Riedel believes in the existence of a so-called tongue map which purports that different parts of the tongue have varying sensitivities to different types of taste.
There are some in the scientific community who believe this to be untrue. They think that it is useless to influence the direction of the flow of the wine on the tongue since there is no such thing as a tongue map and the human brain does not distinguish the source of the taste.
That said, there are many oenophiles who believe anyway in the science behind these variously-shaped wine glasses. More importantly, the influence of the Riedel brand on the entire crystal stemware industry has been significant. Even today, the Riedel collection of stemware is regarded to be among the finest in the world.
In more recent times, Riedel has included less expensive machine blown-crystal as well as ordinary glass. The Vinum, Vinum Extreme, Sommeliers, Grape, Vitis and Tyrol crystal stemware collection series have 24% lead content. On the one hand, the Ouverture, Wine, Vivant and O series are lead-free.
In 2004, Riedel acquired the German-based companies Nachtmann and Spiegelau Group. The Riedel brand along with these two other companies were placed under one umbrella group called Riedel Glass Works and has become one of the largest producers of quality glass in Europe.
If you have not been exposed all that much to crystal stemware, chances are the name Riedel (pronounced “Rhee-dl”) wouldn’t be all that familiar to you. You may have a vague recollection of the brand name but it will just be one of those brands that you have heard of.
The truth of the matter is, if not for the pioneering efforts of Professor Claus J. Riedel, we would not be enjoying crystal stemware that we use today. The Riedel brand set the standard by which other makers of high quality crystal stemware are measured against.
While the Riedel family has been involved in the glass making business since the mid 1750s (originally in Bohemia now the Czech Republic), it was Professor Claus Riedel who in the 1950’s pioneered the idea that the kind of glassware used can influence a wine’s taste and aroma/bouquet, subsequently the drinking experience. He changed stemware from its traditional colored and cut-glass design to plain, thin hand-blown, long stemmed wine glasses.
These plain hand-blown glasses were given the seal of approval by experienced wine testers who said that the wine drank from Riedel’s glasses had more depth and better balance. The shape of the glass allows the wine to reach different parts of the bowl and the rim, allowing the wine to impart its best characteristics. Riedel also designed his glasses to hold a small amount of wine relative to the glass’ actual capacity (usually a third of the glass’ volume), allowing the bouquet of the wine to linger inside the glass.
In 1973, the company launched the innovative Sommelier glass series which was comprised of 10 sizes. The design concept of these glasses was trailblazing and would in fact become the foundation for future stemware design. The Sommeliers glasses were considered to be not just merely wine glasses but objects of precision. Each piece was hand-made and mouth-blown with over 24% lead crystal. Riedel demonstrated with his glasses that serving the same wine using different wine glasses could produce marked differences in the taste of the wine.
Does the Wine Glass Really Make a Difference? Still, there are those in the scientific community who don’t believe in the notion that wine glasses can make a marked difference in taste of the wine. The shape of the glass which will direct the flow of the liquid on your tongue is useless since the human brain does not distinguish the source of the taste.
That said, the influence of the Riedl brand on the entire crystal stemware industry has been significant. Even today, the Riedel collection of stemware is regarded to be among the finest in the world.
In more recent times, Riedel has included less expensive machine blown-crystal as well as ordinary glass. The Vinum, Vinum Extreme, Sommeliers, Grape, Vitis and Tyrol crystal stemware collection series have 24% lead content. On the one hand, the Ouverture, Wine, Vivant and O series are lead-free.
In 2004, Riedel acquired the German-based companies Nachtmann and Spiegelau Group. The Riedel brand along with these two other companies were placed under one umbrella group called Riedel Glass Works and has become one of the largest producers of quality glass in Europe.
