40mm Bell - Genuine Swarovski crystal

Lead Crystal - Man made, very sparkly
Lead crystals (sometimes referred to as “crystal” or “leaded glass”) reflect light in wondrous ways, often creating rainbows and sparkles on the wall when the light hits them just right. They are great for hanging in windows or anywhere the light can get to them. Many hang them up to bring more light into their lives and make their surroundings magical. Hanging crystals such as these are termed 'bright objects' in feng shui bringing positive energy into a house and can be hung in spaces that need "energising".

Lead crystal is manufactured by adding lead oxide to molten glass. It is then machine cut into shapes. The higher the lead content the greater the “refractive index”, or in other words, the greater the sparkle. As the lead content goes up it becomes harder to form the crystal and therefore the price for higher lead content also tends to be higher. The maximum lead content is about 35%.

Swarovski Crystal - High quality lead crystal
Swarovski crystal was first created by Daniel Swarovski in 1892 and is manufactured in Austria. It is not a natural crystal, rather it is glass containing about 32% lead oxide and is cut into very precise and beautiful shapes. Swarovski crystals have some of the highest lead content in the market and also great cutting techniques and therefore many consider them to be the highest quality. You can tell if a crystal is an authentic Swarovski crystal as it has a very tiny “kite mark” just near the top near the hole, that looks like a tiny ladder. Sometimes some of their crystals receive a special metallic type coating which can create a new kind of reflection. One kind is Aurora Borealis, or “AB” as it is often referred to, which gives the crystal a kind of rainbow, oil slick kind of appearance on its surface.