Corporate and Business Gifts
It is not hard to understand why crystal corporate gifts are considered elegant and exquisite. The crystal material itself evokes elements of beauty, style, opulence, and rarity. Crystal, which is a material of choice for important gift giving programs such as employee recognition, surely adds a class of touch to any occasion.
Crystal is made of glass but what makes it different from ordinary glass is the lead monoxide compound added to it. Full-lead crystal needs at least 24 percent lead. It is the inclusion of the lead that makes the crystal brilliant and adds weight to the crystal item. Lead also makes the crystal softer and therefore easier to cut and shape. Other elements that make crystal are silica and iron.
You will easily know a crystal from a glass by performing a “ping” test. When you flick the edge of a glass or bowl and you hear a clonking sound that means it is an ordinary glass. But when the flick of your fingers on the glass produces a melodious “ping”, you know you have a crystal in your hands.
Crystal pieces have over the years become favorite items to commemorate matrimonial as well as institutional milestones. Crystal corporate gifts are in fact often reserved for the really momentous events and extraordinary achievements such as employee retirement, top sales recognition, and anniversaries. Popular crystal corporate gifts include crystal globes, trophies and plaques, and other customized pieces.
There are some techniques applied to making glass and crystal corporate gifts. These are engraving, carving and cutting.
Engraving of crystal items involves cutting into the surface of an annealed glass object. This is done by either holding it against a rotating copper wheel fed with an abrasive or by scratching it. A diamond is usually used to scratch the crystal item.
Carving crystal gift items takes a raw object and then removes glass fro the surface of the object with the use of handheld tools to form something such as a crystal globe.
With cutting, the glass is removed from the surface of an object by grinding it with a rotating wheel made of stone, wood, or metal, and an abrasive suspended in liquid as the cutter holds the object against the upper, or top, side of the rotating wheel.
Makers of crystal pieces and corporate gifts use various types of techniques and add some materials to enhance the beauty of crystals. Optical crystal, which is also used for binoculars and camera lenses, is manufactured in large sheets up to three inches thick. While the crystal is still molten, it is subjected to extreme pressure to get rid of bubbles, flow lines or other distortions. Optical crystal does not contain any lead and this is the reason why it is very hard. The hardness allows for the brilliant cuts and bevels and gives it a shiny surface.
A variation of optical crystal is the black optical crystal. It is done by adding special additives that make the crystal turn to black. Almost similar in quality and characteristics to lead-free optical crystal, black optical crystal is considered very elegant and modern.
But of course, the 24% lead crystal is still regarded as the finest and most valuable of all crystals. Its clear sparkle brings much prestige to any corporate gift.
Aside from trophies, other examples of crystal corporate gifts include crystal bowls, chess sets, desk paperweight, stemware, vases, decanters, trinkets box, ash tray, jug or pitcher, figurines, among others. Outside of the corporate world, crystal gifts are also considered special presents for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and other personal milestones.