Home and Garden Chatter

Gifts in Crystal Glassware

Have you ever found yourself wracking your brains for gift ideas? Maybe for a birthday, wedding, coming of age or another special occasion.

I’m not the most imaginative of gift buyers and I’ve found myself in this position a few times. Most recently it was a older male relative’s 70th birthday. What on earth could I get that he doesn’t already have?

Well I decided upon a really nice lead crystal decanter. My relative enjoys the odd glass of sherry so I thought that a decanter would be well received, which it was. My uncle was overjoyed with his gift which now sits proudly in his drinks cabinet and is regularly used when he is entertaining.

On another occasion a couple of friends decided to get engaged. What could I get them that was both personal, useful and for them as a couple. I ended up selecting a pair of crystal champagne flutes which my friends were so pleased with. You’d have thought I’d given them the crown jewels.

So crystal glassware has become my trusted, reliable source for gifts and I know I shall be buying more in the future. If you need some gift item inspiration I can strongly recommend you take a look at crystal glass, its always a winner.

Poisoned by Lead Crystal Glassware

I’ve just read a worrying health QnA on a webiste (justanswer.com) wherein the questioner, who asked if they could be poisoned by drinking from a lead crystal decanter, was told ‘no’ they would not get lead poisoning.

This is actually not true. Acidic liquids including wines, spirits, fruit juices and vinegar will all leach some lead from the crystal glass. Tests have shown that white wine can double its lead content within one hour of being stored in a high lead content crystal glass decanter.

It is worth noting that the definition of ‘lead crystal’ varies from country to country. In Europe the European union has standardised the definition of lead crystal to require that it contains no less than 4% lead. Whereas in the United States their definition of  lead crystal is glass containing only 1% lead. In Eastern Europe crystal glassware may not contain any lead whatsoever.

As a rule, you should not store any beverages for prolonged periods in lead crystal glassware. Pregnant women and children should never drink from lead crystal containers.

How to Clean a Wine Glass Properly

If there is one thing I hate its glassware that isn’t sparkling and clean. This useful video demonstrates how to effectively clean wine glasses.

[youtube]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=M3mmtJV0GuU[/youtube]