From sand and flame come pleasure and beauty

Just how did that sleek, elegant wine glass that rests so smoothly in your hand as you sit and sip with friends come to be?

All glass contains certain basic elements, but the “recipe” of how these elements are combined, and the process by which the glass is produced, profoundly influence the quality and look of the finished product. A seemingly simple mix of sand, soda and lime, glass is actually a superheated and cooled liquid held in suspension. Glass is comprised mostly of silicon dioxide (silica), to which a potassium compound and sodium carbonate (soda ash) is added to lower its melting point. Lime (calcium oxide) must then be added to make the glass insoluble in water. This mixture is shaped, cooled and hardened into glass – with the crystal clarity, elegant smoothness, and dazzling brilliance that make it radiate beauty on a table.