Foreign vs. American Cut Glass

American Brilliant-period Cut Glass

• Dorflinger, Hoare, Sinclaire, Hawkes, Pairpoint and Libbey used the best blanks and intricate cuttings to make quality cut glass during the American brilliant period. These and other American companies produced the finest cut glass available before World War I, but American glass companies closed or moved into pattern glass production by 1920. Pattern glass designs are molded, not cut.

Imported Cut Crystal

• Quality cut crystal imports for the American market through the 20th century came from Ireland and France. Waterford, Baccarat, St. Louis and Val St. Lambert produced cut and pressed glass imports for nearly a century. Cut colored glass isn’t a typical American-made product, and much of the “cut to clear” colored glass is a Czech or German import after World War I. This glass has a thin layer of colored glass over the thick heavy crystal. The cutter cuts through the color to the clear layer to make the design.

Foreign Glass

• Foreign glass doesn’t always show the quality of American brilliant-period cut glass. The glass blanks don't have the lead content that provides the brilliance, and blanks may show flaws or bubbles. Cuttings on foreign glass aren’t always as intricate as American patterns. Unpolished areas of crosshatching or stars is characteristic of 21st-century foreign cut glass. American cut glass seldom has unpolished areas. Fans on newer foreign cut glass may have many fine rays. Points are narrow and sharp on foreign cuttings.

Imports

• Yasemin Glass Company from Turkey has imported cut glass to the United States since 1990. Yasemin marks cut glass along the rim with a cursive signature using a diamond stylus. Look for a signature or compare with catalog images of known cuttings of Yasemin. These imports are often large with shapes not common in American cut glass. German imports may have a label with the Bleikristall name for "lead crystal." Meissener and Nachtmann are German companies that import cut crystal to the United States. Waterford produces the imported Marquis line in Germany as well.

Identifying American Brilliant-period Cut Glass

• American cut glass is old and usually shows wear on the bottom. Turn the piece over and check for worn areas that look dull. Don’t be fooled by scuffing where all the lines go in the same direction. It’s difficult to find American cut glass that has no damage. Look with a magnifying glass for damaged teeth on the top edge or tiny chips on the surface cutting lines. Some companies marked American brilliant-period cut glass. Look for an acid-etched mark on the inside of a bowl or on the bottom of a compote or tumbler. Cups with handles may show an acid mark at the top of the handle.