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Glass and Crystal Shopping


JoNorvelleWalker

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Up in the Mai Tai thread

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/25600-mai-tai-recipes/

I was wondering about glasswear and the companies that produce and sell it. Specifically I was interested in barware glasses, but the topic is more general than that. For example I could find only a couple mentions of William Yeoward on eGullet, and the only information was that people wanted same!

Baccarat is a brand I am a little familiar with as I own their wine glasses. (I use "glasses", plural, because there are two left.)

But what of William Yeoward American Bar? Is it glass or real crystal? Anyone familiar with it? Specifically I might be interested in Marlene:

http://williamyeowardcrystal.com/products-detail.asp?ProductID=1140

How about Luigi Bormioli or Schott Zwiesel Tritan?

And as for second hand, has anyone purchased from replacements.com?

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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JoNorvelle, are you familiar with the chime test for true crystal? Basically, if you tap or flick the glass and it rings like a chime or a bell, you've got crystal. Glass has no sustain and is not nearly as musical. This is the fastest and easiest way to determine between the two; unscrupulous dealers sometimes sell cat for rabbit, and it's a good idea to be able to tell.

I am very fond of Cristar glasswares (which are glass, but in my butterfingered family that's better than crystal), but I'm also located in Latin America, so it's nearly impossible to encounter Baccarat or other "luxury" brands without paying triple the NYC prices....

Elizabeth Campbell, baking 10,000 feet up at 1° South latitude.

My eG Food Blog (2011)My eG Foodblog (2012)

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Thanks, yes, I am familiar with the chime test, although it is of limited help when shopping on the internet. I found the Cristar website and looked at the tumblers, but I don't think they are available here. And none were large enough for my needs.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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I should add that I'd never shop for glasswares or crystal on the internet! There is entirely too much to go wrong between purchase and delivery, and I like to hold glasses in my hands before purchase.....

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Elizabeth Campbell, baking 10,000 feet up at 1° South latitude.

My eG Food Blog (2011)My eG Foodblog (2012)

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I have stemware crystal by Luigi Bormioli in the Michaelangelo style because it looks a lot like the kind of Baccarat that I like, minus the Baccarat price. I have white wine, red wine and champagne flutes in this shape where the stem flows into the bowl. They also make barware.

http://www.amazon.com/Luigi-Bormioli-Kitchen-Housewares/b?ie=UTF8&node=13013251

Edited by Norm Matthews (log)
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I've been buying from Replacements.com for years. Even back when it was named something else. They are very very reliable. I regularly give gift certificates for Replacements.com to my daughters-in-law to fill in sets of family china, crystal, sterling that I've given them.

You can find stuff cheaper elsewhere in the secondary market, but you have to look, and you can't always trust the sellers.

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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What I was interested in from replacements.com was the Baccarat that looks like Luigi Bormioli Michaelangelo! Or maybe Luigi Bormioli looks like Baccarat? I assume Luigi Bormioli is not crystal?

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Luigi Bormioli looks to me like Baccarat and it sounds like crystal. It sings when you put liquid in it and go around the lip with a damp finger and chimes when you tap it. I believe it is crystal. I was attracted to it because it looks like Baccarat. I saw some at Marshalls the other day. I already have plenty and don't need anymore but they have lower than regular retail prices. I might get some water glasses though.

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I have non crystal Bormioli glasses and they're fine (small cordial glasses, etc). In my area, Bormioli is often found at TJ Maxx, Marshall's, and other discount/closeout stores. Odd sizes, different patterns, but deep deep discounts.

For sturdier every day glasses, I swear by Duralex Picardie. I have every damn size made, and in years of hard use, only one has broken (cracked in the dishwasher's heat, probably due to a hairline fissure).

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I ordered the Luigi Bormioli Crescendo 15 1/2 oz Tumblers, which are apparently faux crystal. It seems the Michelangelo line are a lesser grade of glass.

It was hard to justify the Baccarat that are twenty times as expensive.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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As I understand the term, if glass is lead free it cannot be crystal, and in the EU at least it may not be called crystal. In the Luigi Bormioli 2013 catalog there is a section on the glass technologies used for the different glass collections. The text may or may not be all marketing. Pretty pictures anyway. Here is the link:

http://www.bormioliluigi.com/english/casalingo/arte-della-tavola/catalogo-generale.aspx

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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I ordered the Luigi Bormioli Crescendo 15 1/2 oz Tumblers, which are apparently faux crystal. It seems the Michelangelo line are a lesser grade of glass.

It was hard to justify the Baccarat that are twenty times as expensive.

And it isn't just the initial expense. Speaking as someone that has a lot of Waterford, and uses it, I'm sorta nervous every time I drag it out. And when the inevitable guest breaks one, and insists on replacing it even though I insist he/she doesn't, it's awkward for them. After insisting that they are going to replace it, and discovering the cost, they have to demur.

Although I did have one funny thing happen a few years back.

I don't like for anyone to help me set or clear my dinner table when I'm using all that Waterford. I prefer to handle it, and I do it gingerly, one glass at a time, etc. So a friend, Macy, said, "Here, I'll help you set the table; I'll get the glasses!" and before I could stop her, she had gathered up two or three in each hand and headed for the dining room. I could hear those delicate rims crashing together, so I blanched and said, far more excitedly than I had intended, "Oh, no, Macy! I'll get those!" and leapt across the room in her direction.

"Well, okay, fine!" she said, clearly taken aback. "I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like they're Waterford or something."

As a matter of fact, Macy, they are Waterford, I thought. But even if they weren't, I'd just as soon they weren't all chipped and broken.

My point here is that even though I spent all that money so long ago, I can't really afford to replace them now, and am hesitant to use them. So it isn't just the initial investment that you have to consider.

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I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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I ordered the Luigi Bormioli Crescendo 15 1/2 oz Tumblers, which are apparently faux crystal. It seems the Michelangelo line are a lesser grade of glass.

It was hard to justify the Baccarat that are twenty times as expensive.

And it isn't just the initial expense. Speaking as someone that has a lot of Waterford, and uses it, I'm sorta nervous every time I drag it out. And when the inevitable guest breaks one, and insists on replacing it even though I insist he/she doesn't, it's awkward for them. After insisting that they are going to replace it, and discovering the cost, they have to demur.

Although I did have one funny thing happen a few years back.

I don't like for anyone to help me set or clear my dinner table when I'm using all that Waterford. I prefer to handle it, and I do it gingerly, one glass at a time, etc. So a friend, Macy, said, "Here, I'll help you set the table; I'll get the glasses!" and before I could stop her, she had gathered up two or three in each hand and headed for the dining room. I could hear those delicate rims crashing together, so I blanched and said, far more excitedly than I had intended, "Oh, no, Macy! I'll get those!" and leapt across the room in her direction.

"Well, okay, fine!" she said, clearly taken aback. "I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like they're Waterford or something."

As a matter of fact, Macy, they are Waterford, I thought. But even if they weren't, I'd just as soon they weren't all chipped and broken.

My point here is that even though I spent all that money so long ago, I can't really afford to replace them now, and am hesitant to use them. So it isn't just the initial investment that you have to consider.

That's a good story, and I can certainly appreciate it! On the other hand, I've watched so many friends and family members - including myself - cherish these possessions, never using them, until it's too late. A recently-widowed friend who'd lost her husband abruptly at age 50 looked at her china and said, "what was I saving it for?" So my addition to your investment advice is to consider risk tolerance versus the pleasure of using something truly beautiful. It's different for everyone. I'm careful with my "good stuff", but I'm using it...crystal and all...and I'm glad to have it to use.
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Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

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I do use that Waterford and have gotten a great deal of pleasure from it throughout the years. I especially have enjoyed the heft and cutwork sparkle of the brandy snifters and the "rocks" glasses.

Just trying to say that, unless one is independently wealthy, if you are contemplating purchase one of the most expensive brands, you might be well-advised to consider the cost of replacements going forward.

Edited by Jaymes (log)
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I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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I see your point.

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
HosteG Forumsnsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx; twitter.com/egullet

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

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I've been buying from Replacements.com for years. Even back when it was named something else. They are very very reliable. I regularly give gift certificates for Replacements.com to my daughters-in-law to fill in sets of family china, crystal, sterling that I've given them.

You can find stuff cheaper elsewhere in the secondary market, but you have to look, and you can't always trust the sellers.

I find it depends a lot on what you're looking for. Replacements.com tends to be horribly over-priced relative to the secondary market for my winter dishes pattern. (It's a relatively casual Pfaltzgraff pattern that's discontinued; so not super-cheap, but not $$$$ per place setting either, which probably makes it more common on secondary market websites. More people have it or have pieces who are willing to clear them out for cheap just for the space.)

That said, last year my mom got me several pieces that are harder to come by (like a cookie jar that was available for all of one season before being replaced with a newer and ugly version) and they all arrived in good condition, well packaged, exactly what was expected. So I'd probably spend a small amount of time poking around elsewhere to see if what I was looking for turned up elsewhere, and if not, go to replacements.com and be done with it. (I just can't bring myself to pay their prices without SOME effort to find things elsewhere.)

If I'm giving someone a gift of something where they may need replacements (glassware, dishes, etc.) then I do try to take into consideration the likely longevity of the design, too. Most people just aren't going to be able to afford all of the pieces they want right away, and it's really annoying to start collecting a pattern and then have it discontinued inside a year. Sometimes you can't know for sure, but it is worth asking about, particularly if you're shopping places like outlet shops to start with, where you're more likely to find discontinued items. (I mean, I love outlet shops, I just try to be realistic about what I'm likely to find/be able to buy there.)

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I'm finishing up my first Mai Tai in my new Luigi Bormioli 15 1/2 oz tumbler. Luigi Bormioli is OK. The sound is nicer than Libby. And 15 1/2 oz was just right for the Mai Tai recipe. Sitting next to real Baccarat, however, no one would be fooled.

But unlike Baccarat, Luigi Bormioli happily goes in the dishwasher!

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Thanks to this thread, I just got a pair of Baccarat champagne flutes as a Christmas gift for my son and his fiancee for their wedding toast. Their wedding is in July.

Wow. Lovely. I have a Baccarat pitcher and several decanters that I've used often over several decades. Still as gorgeous today as it was when I bought it.

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Tonight I ordered three pieces of Baccarat from replacements.com. I gave a passing thought to order some actual replacements for my stoneware and Baccarat patterns that I use everyday, on which the decades have taken toll. Unfortunatlely that gets expensive fast, so it was just three little pieces that I hope will make interesting glassware for mixed drinks.

For two of the pieces, a goblet and double old fashioned, replacements.com had only one each left in stock. For the other, a champagne glass which I hope will make a pretty nineteenth century cocktail glass, they have a number of pieces left in stock should I wish to order more.

Thanks, everyone, for the help and recommendations.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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I spoke a bit too soon. One piece, a double old fashioned, was gone before I got there. But I substituted a couple of smaller glasses that looked nice for not too much more. Replacements.com seem very nice people to do business with.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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