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In 1870, a young man left his family glassworks in Bohemia to start his own business. His name was Adolph Schonbek. Since that day in 1870, his company's products have found their way into homes from Buckingham Palace to the White House. |
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What is crystal?Crystal is a transparent glass of a high degree of brilliance and optical purity. The fire and brilliance of crystal comes from the refraction of light passing through a prism. The same phenomenon that causes rainbows. A piece of crystal is like a diamond in that its value depends on the quality of its material and how it is cut. Complete crystal chandeliers formed entirely of glass were manufactured originally in Murano, an island just north of Venice. The Venetians guarded their secrets of glassmaking with deadly seriousness, sending assassins after any artisan who escaped from Murano. Despite all precautions, the manufacture of crystal spread to Bohemia, Spain, England and Ireland. |
Types of crystal commonly used in chandeliers:Strass: Considered the finest crystal in the world, Strass is manufactured by Swarovski AG in the Austrian Alps. Strass crystal is clear as spring water, totally free of flaws, and unique in purity and brilliance. Strass crystal is characterized by razor-sharp cutting of facets and lead content is in excess of 30 percent. Cutting and polishing are done by machine to achieve perfect optical clarity. Note*: An invisible coating makes Strass easier to clean. Swarovski: A passion for perfection has made Swarovski the world leader in the production of cut crystal. This new crystal grade offers a high degree of brilliance and an exceptional value. Heritage Handcut: This grade of crystal is cut by hand in two stages on an iron and then a sandstone wheel. Each crystal is then polished on a wood wheel with marble dust; these methods go back centuries. If you look closely, you will notice faint traces of the wood wheel attesting to the concentrated labor of the artisan. This is a mark of authenticity. Heritage Gemcut: Heritage Gemcut is first quality, machine cut, full-lead crystal of a clarity and flawlessness beyond industry standards. It is characterized by prismatic brilliance, visual purity, sharp faceting and precise polishing. Legacy: Venetian crystals (from the glass making regions in and around Venice) are molded, not cut. You'll notice a rounding of edges that comes from fire polishing. Molded crystal, though is never as brilliant as cut crystal, but has a subtle charm and is an exceptional value. |
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