The Difference Between Crystal And Glass

The appearance of crystal and glass are very similar, but they are two completely different substances. The main differences are as follows:

1. Different materials

Crystal is a crystalline body of silicon dioxide, and glass is just a molten mixture containing silicate.

2. Different efficacy

Glass only has a decorative function. In addition to the decorative function, crystal also has a piezoelectric effect, which has a special health care function.

3. Different prices

The unit price of crystal is several times or even dozens of times higher than that of glass.

4. Different physical properties

(1) Crystal is a crystalline body with high hardness (Mohs level 7), while the hardness of glass is low (Mohs level 5.5), crystals can make marks on the glass, but not vice versa.

(2) The crystal is a crystalline body with good thermal conductivity, and it will feel cold when touched with the tip of the tongue. The glass is warm.

(3) It is distinguished by polarizing lens. Crystal can transmit light, but glass cannot.

(4) The high-quality crystal is clear and translucent when looking at the light, there are no small bubbles in it, and there is no water pattern, so it is expensive. Therefore, the quality of the crystal is closely related to the price.

(5) The processing technology is different. The glass can be formed by hot casting, saving materials and labor, and low cost. Crystal is a crystalline body and cannot be reversed after being heated and melted, so hot casting cannot be used, but cold working methods such as cutting and grinding can only be used.

Identification of crystal and glass

1. Wipe or wash the crystal crafts you want to identify. After they are dry, touch the crafts with the tip of your tongue. During the test, try not to hold the sample with your hands or place the sample near a heat source (in the sun, by the stove), so as to avoid errors caused by the temperature rise of the sample.

2. Use a magnifying glass to observe the handicrafts. Inside the glass, there are often swirling or arc-shaped lines caused by uneven melting, but there is absolutely no crystal. In addition, there are often many bubbles in glass and few in crystal.

3. For the crystal ball, you can put it on the newspaper and look at the newspaper below from the top of the crystal ball. If it is a real crystal, the writing on the newspaper will have double shadows. In the case of glass products (including crystal glass), there is always only one image of the handwriting on the newspaper.

4. For crystal glasses, it can be checked in a polarizer. Adjust the polarizer to the orthogonal position. At this time, the field of view is completely black, and then put the crystal glasses between the upper and lower polarizers. The lens and the polarizer should not be strictly parallel. You can tilt it slightly so that there is one lens and the polarizer. Cross the angle, and then turn the spectacle lens. If it is made of real crystal handicrafts, there will be obvious brightness changes in the field of view. For example, it is always dark when rotating, then this spectacle lens is a glass product or crystal glass (glass made of low-quality crystal).

5. When traveling, the polarizer is inconvenient to carry. You can bring two polarizers with a diameter of less than 40mm (or two smallest polarizers for photography). When measuring, one person holds two polarizers so that they are orthogonal and completely black. The human hand holds the spectacle lens and rotates it between two polarizers. If there is a significant brightness change, it is a real crystal product, and if the darkness does not change, it is a glass product.