Although cut glass has been around for over 2000 years true lead crystal has only been in existence since the second half of the 17th century. English glassmaker George Ravenscroft (1618-81) while searching for a way to improve the luster and clarity of his glassware found that by adding lead oxide to his molten mixture he could not only improve the clarity (crystal clear) of the glass but dramatically increase the weight, the index of refraction and the ability to cut the material without fracturing. The importance of this discovery lead to a booming cut lead crystal market in Britain that eventually spread throughout Europe and later to America.
In the United States by the late 19th century there were over 200 cutting houses producing cut lead crystal. American demand for lead crystal was at its peak. In those days a considerable amount of wealth was required to own true cut lead crystal. The cost of a craftsman’s labor to produce an intricate piece was prohibitive to the person of average income. 

By the dawn of the 20th century production of cut lead crystal was slowly declining as lower cost imitation molded and pressed glassware became routinely produced for the masses. Molded glass cannot compare to real cut leaded crystal. The lack of, detail, brilliant luster, sharpness and clarity along with the presence of rough surfaces and mold parting lines in the work are all too easily detected.

No Mass Production for Our Lead Crystal!
Today the electric powered cutting wheel is much faster and able to perform much more intricate cuts in the hands of a master cutter than was its steam driven predecessor of a century ago. The time and labor requirements to produce a fine piece of intricate cut crystal are still quite considerable. It may take hours to cut a small piece and several days for larger work. It is for this reason that there is no mass production of these highly detailed products in the United States or anywhere else for that matter. Master cutters employed by large cutting houses usually do not produce numerous elaborate pieces for reasons of economy.

Manufacturing Lead Crystal by the Traditional Method
The traditional method of forming the crystal blank is done by a highly skilled blower who gathers the molten mixture at the end of an iron blowpipe and then forms the blank shape purely by means of his skill or by blowing the “gather” into a rough mold. After cooling, the blank is then ready to be sketched, cut, polished and decorated in whatever manner the artisan has chosen.

Full lead crystal, which is mouth blown in the traditional method, may from time to time have a few minor bubbles contained within the piece. This is generally accepted as a by-product of the traditional process and does not detract from the piece. On occasion, small, barely perceivable lines may be detected within a piece of crystal. These represent slight variations in the density of the molten crystal, which remain after the crystal has cooled. These lines are called cords and are also considered a by-product of the traditional process.

It should be noted that each piece of true hand cut lead crystal is a unique product of the individual artisan or artisans who have produced it. For example within a set of stemware of the same pattern there may be very slight variations in pattern size and spacing of the elements. This only serves to embellish the charm and appreciation of such artisanship and is by no means considered a detriment. Absolute product consistency is only achieved by fully mechanized production, not by a craftsperson.
Slight variation within a matched set of cut crystal is the accepted benchmark for handcrafted artisanship. It is comforting to note that in this age of accelerating technology someone is still practicing traditional, limited production, hand crafted work.