Have you ever wondered whether your glass is cut or etched? Sometimes it can be hard to tell apart. A cut glass pattern like these cocktails is pretty easy. The lines are all straight and V shaped.
The V shape is a good clue that these are cut. One big difference between cuttings and etchings is the cuts are usually not uniform depth; they will be shallower on the edges and deeper in the middle. Etching is done by allowing acid to dissolve glass and the glass is dissolved at the same rate. That results in an etched leaf having the same depth at the center as at the edge.
This Secretaries Primrose Goblet is a good example. If you touch the flower petals carefully you can feel that there is a drop off from the smooth, undecorated glass down to the etched design.
I hope you enjoyed reading this. Please let me know of topics you would like to see. Usually blog ideas are easy since all I have to do is look at my glass to get inspired, but every once in a while my mind goes blank! Then your comments or suggestions are so helpful.