posted 10-07-2014 07:19 AM            

Hi,

This is my first post and my hobby is buying (discovering) old inexpensive items that interest me then researching them. So I often find items where I'm looking for information as now because the items I find can have varied subjects such as silver.

I am asking if anyone knows what American rock Crystal maker that Currier & Roby may have been associated with? Or is anyone familiar with other Currier & Roby items that included rock crystal such as my inkwell?

The silver lid is mushroom shaped, plain. The rock crystal part is plain smooth crystal that fluoresces a light green when under a black light. Only the edges are chamferred, cut, with a sixteen point cut star burst on the bottom. The rock crystal looks without flaws or air bubbles. These qualities in the crystal leads me to believe this item is 1900 to 1925 and the crystal is American made.

Any information will be appreciated.

Thank you for your time in considering my information request.

Regards,
Stoystown

posted 10-14-2014 02:15 PM            

I think that you might mean lead glass when you say rock crystal. Lead glass is glass with a high lead content (between 20 and 40 percent lead oxide, give or take) that allows the resulting glass to be very clear and refractive such as you see on the glass in your ink well. The term rock crystal means it is carved out of a large transparent quartz crystal. Glass by definition is not crystalline - it is an odd amorphous solid with some properties of a liquid.

Lead glass when made properly is not going to have bubbles and other inclusions. When it is cut and faceted it will look very similar to rock crystal, but it will have different properties since it has a different chemical makeup and different internal structure.

There are many makers of high quality lead glass from the 1800s through to today - in the US and Europe mainly, but there are some in Asia as well. Dating something by the glass used is almost impossible unless the glass is marked. My guess is this silver company simply bought their glass from one of the many makers and put their silver fittings on it.