Fine Crystal Vases| Glass Wall Vases are the Perfect Floral Counterpoints for your home decor

 For an elegant touch, there is nothing like decorating with fine crystal vases. Whether you love Swarovsky or Waterford, you'll find hundreds of lovely new and antique fine crystal vases that will accent your décor perfectly. You'll also find that glass wall vases, either all glass or those that are mounted on wrought iron display racks, work equally well and often blend very well with your crystal vases.

Crystal and Cut Glass Vases

The first thing to decide is whether you want collector's item vases or less expensive crystal. If you're looking for the expensive ones, go for 24% lead crystal; they're tougher and more resistant to damage. In the collector's markets, the best fine crystal vases are Waterford and Swarovski, with new Wedgwood Waterford putting out a good line of molded crystal.

Both Waterford and Swarovski are all about cut crystal: capturing the light and life in the glass itself. These are best displayed with either slightly indirect light or with jewelry-store track lighting. Of the two, Waterford's traditions reach back further, but for a very long time Waterford was not in business. It was begun in south Ireland in the late 1700s, and taxed completely out of business. Not until the 1950s did they regain their position as crystal manufacturers, and today they are known for their beautiful and classic designs, perfect for setting off an elegant room.

Swarovski crystal came into being in the late 1800s, when its founder invented a glass-cutting machine that was more precise and quicker than human glass cutters. This was perfect for cutting lead crystal, which up to then was the best way to shape this unique type of glass. To identify genuine Swarovski crystal, look for the swan (after 1988) or edelweiss flower logo. Swarovski's cut and 32% lead content is designed to perfectly capture and refract light, so be very sensitive to how light strikes it.

Waterford, instead of a picture logo, often has a tiny etched “Waterford” mark somewhere on the bottom of the piece. This Irish company makes many things, but their fine crystal vases are among their best pieces. As with Swarovski, Waterford crystal has a very high lead content to refract light and should be lit appropriately.

With any lead crystal vase, display it at least waist-high and with nothing else around it to block light. You'll need to keep it well-dusted to maintain top refraction, even when it doesn't look dusty. The lead will probably leach into any water in the vase, but it won't hurt flowers, and not enough gets into the water to pose health hazards.

Blown Glass Wall Vases

Mounted up high near your entry or low near a half-circle accent table, glass wall vases create a beautiful focal point for your space. Most glass wall vases are made of light, strong materials, with blown glass wall vases being very common. Some glass wall vases are just made of glass, while others are mounted on wrought-iron and brass frames, creating a nice contrast of light and dark.

In any case, blown glass wall vases are excellent homes for air plants and other very light greenery. They don't look great without something inside them, so it's better to use them for living plants or fake or dried ones. We here at the VasesByDesign.com want to help you with all your resources and information in your research for finding the perfect vases.