How to Learn About Lead Crystal Cut Glass

Joining a Club

• 1

  Join the American Cut Glass Association (ACGA) or other collectors' association (see Resources.) Choose from national clubs like the National American Glass Club, or clubs based on collecting from one particular manufacturer or region --- for example, the National Imperial Glass Collectors' Society.

• 2

  Attend meetings, shows and auctions. Read club magazines -- for example, the ACGA magazine "Hobstar" (a subscription comes free with membership; see Resources.)

• 3

  Ask questions of collectors in online forums -- many glass collectors' clubs have these. Consult the Glass Lovers Glass Database online; you can join discussions here on Bohemian, Irish and American cut glass, aimed toward identification and research.

Reading and Research

• 4

  Study the history of some of the great names in lead crystal production: Bohemian crystal, Swarovski Austrian crystal, Waterford, and the birthplace of the product: Stourbridge, England. Research the famous American cut glass manufacturers who thrived between 1870 and World War I: Libbey, Hawkes and Dorflinger.

• 5

  Read books on collecting and identifying lead crystal --- see Resources for some examples. Look for books by Jane Shadel Spillman --- these are recommended by the ACGA, as is "American Cut and Engraved Glass" by M.L. Swan. Use search engines to seek articles by collectors and experts online.

• 6

  Visit specialist glass museums --- for example, the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, the Dorflinger Glass Museum in Pennsylvania, the Sandwich Glass Museum in Massachusetts, the Museum of American Glass in New Jersey and the Museum of American Cut and Engraved Glass in North Carolina. Seek out the glass collections within wider-ranging museums or universities --- the Dallas Museum of Art has a significant glass collection; Virginia's Ferrum College has a 300-piece collection of American Brilliant cut glass; the ACGA collection is housed at Texas A &M University's Forsyth Center Galleries.

• 7

  Study the cut glass in museum collections and read all about them --- museum gift shops are a good source of specialist literature. Learn to distinguish molded or pressed glass from cut --- both have a high lead content, but pressing glass into faceted shapes was cheaper and less-skilled than hand cutting.

Observation and Handling

• 8

  See and handle as much lead crystal as possible --- nothing is as valuable as firsthand knowledge. Familiarize yourself with the feel and weight of lead crystal. Compare the weight of a regular glass goblet with one in cut crystal. Talk to dealers and antique store owners.

• 9

  Observe the brightness and reflective properties of true lead crystal. Compare products of different lead percentages --- 25 percent lead is most common, but the prized Waterford and Austrian crystal are 33 percent lead.

• 10

  "Ring" the top of a glass by flicking it with a forefinger. Learn to recognize the chiming sound of lead crystal --- a sound not found in standard glassware.