Keeping Your Business Afloat

If you're looking for an award to give your top employees to honor their accomplishments and show your appreciation for their hard work, then crystal is a good choice. When you shop for crystal awards, you may notice that acrylic and glass awards look similar, but are less expensive. That's because, while they are suitable for their own purposes, they aren't ideal as executive awards. Here is why crystal is superior.

Acrylic Is Too Lightweight

Acrylic has a transparent appearance similar to crystal, but the difference is obvious as soon as you pick up an acrylic award. Since it is made of plastic, it is very lightweight. This quality makes its perceived and actual value less than crystal. Being plastic, these awards are very durable, so you don't have to worry about breaking them though. Acrylic awards are great for kids when you want to buy inexpensive awards that won't break, but they aren't luxurious enough to compete with crystal when it comes to quality.

Glass Is Thinner And More Fragile

One way to tell the difference between glass and crystal awards is that those made of glass are usually thinner since the plates of glass used to make them are thinner to begin with. Glass is more fragile than crystal because it is thinner and lighter; however, some glass awards are attractive since the glass can be dyed various colors. Glass awards are suitable for general employees since they come in a variety of designs, can be customized, and are less expensive than crystal. However, they lack the sparkle and color diffraction that crystal offers, so they don't have the upscale appearance of crystal awards.

Crystal Is Heavy And Sparkly

There are two types of crystal awards you can buy. One kind is optic crystal and the other is lead crystal. Optic crystal doesn't have any lead in it, which makes it very hard. Because it is so hard, it can be cut into various shapes and then polished until it shines. Optic crystal awards are high-end. They are made from heavy blocks of crystal and carved into intricate designs. They are made from the same high-quality crystals as optical lenses for equipment like microscopes. These are ideal awards for high-level employees because they look luxurious, are heavy enough to feel substantial, and they are more expensive which makes the employee feel more valuable.

Lead crystal is another option you can choose. Because it contains lead, it is easier to cut. This is why lead crystal vases and glasses usually have attractive designs cut into them. The lead also increases the prism-like quality of the crystal making it sparkle and refract light into various colors. Lead crystal awards are suitable for valuable employees because of their beauty and upscale appearance.

No matter what type of crystal you choose, you'll have a huge variety of shapes and styles of awards to pick from. All crystal can be etched and customized with your logo and text of choice, which is perfect for personalizing an employee award. Contact a company like Trophy Awards for more information.