Hand Cut Monogramming: The Crystal Shoppe was opened in 1954 due to the skill and artistry of Gladys Payne, a glass artist who had learned her craft in the glass factories that abounded in West Virginia at the time. Her skill was etching glass by using a revolving stone wheel - and the current Crystal Shoppe artists still employ this method of hand-cutting initials, names, monograms and designs into glass and crystal giftware. The glass is held, upside down, against the rotating wheel and gentle pressure is applied to create the required patterns, with a small hose dripping water over the work area to keep the glass lubricated: nothing has changed in nearly 100 years of production!

Sand-Blasted/Deep-etched Engraving: These two terms are used interchangeably to describe the process of etching letters and designs into glass. The required wording or logo or design is created on a computer program and printed onto a sheet of vellum paper (not unlike tracing paper); this is then exposed onto a film and developed under ultra-violet light. The resulting film is washed out using a high-pressure water hose and then dried, before being applied to the item in question. After the film has been taped (to avoid over blast) it is placed into the blast cabinet where it is held under a nozzle that shoots sand at it, etching into the glass where it is not protected by the film. The result is a beautifully etched gift!

Check out our Collection below.