When purchasing an award or trophy to honour someone at your work, business, or sports club, you want the award to reflect their achievement. And that is why only a premium quality, optically pure crystal award will do.

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There are many reasons to choose crystal or glass awards and trophies over acrylic awards, and we have explained a few below of these advantages below.

Crystal vs Acrylic &#; What is the difference?

But first, what is the difference between crystal, glass, and acrylic?

Crystal is a type of glass that has a higher lead content, which is what gives the crystal its weighty feel and light diffracting properties. At first glance crystal and glass seem to be two of the same, however, when light travels through the crystal it diffracts the light, creating a glittery, shimmery effect.

Acrylic is a synthetic polymer and although technically classed as a type of glass, it is a thermoplastic for all intents and purposes. Acrylic is the most different material of the three materials, as to touch it feels like plastic.

The Benefits of Crystal & Glass Awards, Compared to Acrylic Award

Crystal & Glass Awards Offer Weight

The quality of a crystal or glass award is apparent as soon as you hold it. Crystal and glass awards offer weight, making the recipient feel like they have been presented with something valuable and meaningful. Whereas acrylic awards are extremely lightweight, which often gives the impression of being cheaper and not as valuable or important.

When presenting or receiving an award or trophy you want it to give the best feeling and impression possible, which is why awarding a crystal or glass award is so important to signify the importance of the achievement.

Glass & Crystal Awards are Scratch Resistant

Although acrylic awards may be more impact-resistant, when it comes to general wear and tear, they are much more susceptible to scratches. Acrylic is a considerably softer material and therefore it is significantly more prone to scratches and damage. Whereas, glass and crystal awards have tougher surfaces, making them more resistant to scratches caused by general wear and tear. This means you know your crystal award or trophy will still be looking its best in years to come.

Crystal Awards Diffract the Light

One of the biggest differences between crystal and acrylic awards is the stunning aesthetic of a crystal award. Crystal awards diffract the light which creates a beautiful and glittery appearance as the light travels through the crystal. Your crystal award or trophy will stand out and take pride of place wherever its positioned.

Workability of Crystal, Glass & Acrylic

When it comes to creating stunning awards, each material has its benefits. Glass and acrylic are made from more flexible materials and therefore, can be formed into nearly any shape imaginable. However, crystal can be carved into exceptional and complex three-dimensional shapes, which is also what makes the light diffract so beautifully. These magnificent shapes and structures are sure to look impressive at your next awards ceremony or presentation event.

Pricing of Crystal Awards vs Acrylic Award

While an acrylic award is likely to cost slightly less than a crystal or glass award, the benefits provided by a crystal or glass award far outweigh the price difference. The cost associated with a crystal award is from the labour-intensive process of cutting and carving the award into stunning shapes which increases its potential to diffract the light in spectacular ways.

However, when awarding someone for achieving something great you don&#;t want to be presenting them with a cheap award that doesn&#;t reflect and signify the importance of the achievement and occasion. Nevertheless, crystal awards are an affordable award option for all.

Your Crystal & Glass Awards Experts at Laser Crystal

Here at Laser Crystal, we offer an extensive collection of crystal and glass awards, catering to all budgets and requirements. Our range of awards and trophies includes simple crystal plaques for employee recognition awards, to completely bespoke trophies for prestigious award ceremonies.

Whether you&#;re looking for one award or one hundred awards, we&#;re here to help. Simply browse our collection of awards and trophies at Laser Crystal and get in touch to order today. If you&#;re unsure of exactly what you&#;re after then no worries, our friendly team are more than happy to talk through your requirements with you.

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Understanding Crystal vs. Acrylic Awards

With so many different options in the awards industry, it can be confusing as to what type of awards to order. It used to be as easy as asking a customer what their budget was when ordering awards. There was a time when acrylic awards were much less expensive than crystal or glass awards. With the rise in cost of acrylic this no longer the case. In some cases, we can offer a customer a glass or crystal awards that is less expensive than an acrylic piece. So how do you choose?

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From my years of experience, it really will come down to who the recipient is as well as your personal preference. If your recipient is a young adult or child, you may want to consider presenting them with acrylic. Why? For the very same reason that you would serve them dinner on a plastic plate as opposed to a glass plate. If they drop acrylic, it may break, but not shatter like a glass or crystal. Also, if you are looking for a lot of color then you may want to present an acrylic award as well.

If your recipient is an employee or an executive that is going to display their award in an office environment then a crystal or glass piece may be perfect for them. Crystal and glass tend to weigh more than acrylic thus giving them a higher perceived value. They will also tend to reflect light and sparkle more than acrylic.

If you're still unsure of what type of awards to order, one of our friendly customer service and sales representatives will be happy to help you make the right choice.

4 Facts about High-Quality Acrylic

FineAwards is renowned throughout the industry for the beauty, high quality, and variety of their custom plaques awards. While they offer awards and gifts in marble, rosewood, and many other mediums, FineAwards&#; acrylic, crystal, and glass are among their most popular options. Each type of award has distinct benefits, depending on what you want. If you&#;re looking for a fun, versatile, yet professional look for your corporate awards or sports trophies, you should consider why acrylic might be the perfect option.

Still, let's compare the difference between crystal and acrylic, their benefits, and what situations call for them as recognition awards.

1. Acrylic Designs

There is no question that FineAwards&#; crystal and glass can be produced in an impressive array of patterns and designs. However, since acrylic is easier to mold into complex three dimensional shapes than glass or crystal, they stand out as the ultimate option for versatility of design and customization.

Of the available award materials, acrylic can fit into just about any shape, and come in a wide selection of stock options if you don&#;t have a specific design in mind. With that said, customized acrylic allow you to let your imagination run wild.

Design an award with incredible shapes, including your company logo, a vehicle, your headquarters, or virtually anything else you can imagine. You can combine the acrylic with metal design elements, custom engraving, textures, and patterns to create a truly distinctive award.

2. Acrylic Color

When it comes to acrylic, the versatility of design also allows for a variety of color possibilities that can only be achieved with this medium. You can be as supremely imaginative with colors and color combinations as you can be with the shape of your acrylic. That includes vibrantly colored backgrounds, any color-fill options you can imagine, and even color-etching. Create an acrylic award that is your own unique blend of shapes, patterns, layers, textures, colors, components, and even more.

3. Acrylic is Lightweight and Durable

In addition to the ultra-customizable versatility of acrylic, as opposed to crystal and glass, they are also ultra-durable. If you are concerned about ordering an award that might become damaged on its way to you, acrylic is the choice for you.

Its lightweight and soft composition make it the most scratch- and impact-resistant material of the three most popular options. It can also absorb impact, effectively reducing the risk of an acrylic chipping or being damaged in a fall from a desk or shelf. The result is a beautiful, sturdy award that is sure to stand the test of time and look good while doing so.

4. Acrylic is Cost-Effective

Finally, acrylic is also the most cost-effective choice of FineAwards&#; three primary awards options. The level of affordability gives you the flexibility to use the budget you have to create a more ambitious design if you want. Being so budget-friendly also makes acrylic the perfect option for recognizing every member of a group for their excellence and contributions, whether that&#;s colleagues in your department or members of your sports team.

5 Facts About Glass & Crystal From FineAwards

Many of the largest corporations, organizations, and professional sports teams across the country choose FineAwards when they need high-quality, unforgettable custom plaques and awards. Favorites among their customers include ultra-versatile acrylic awards, gorgeous glass awards. A few of the FineAwards &#;forever customers&#; to have chosen the beautiful artistry of crystal awards include Google, Lexus, and even the NFL. Here are five reasons why you should consider our awards for your company too.

1. The Value of Crystal

When it comes to the most elegantly sophisticated awards available, FineAwards&#; selection of sets the standard. Crystal possesses a stunning, light-catching clarity that is simply unmatched. In fact, that stunning clarity is so flawless because the optical crystal used by FineAwards is the same material used for NASA telescopes, top-tier camera lenses, and other first-rate visual equipment. No matter what you have in mind, it makes for a striking design.

2. The Variety of Crystal Choices

FineAwards&#; customers also appreciate choosing from over 200 exquisite crystal stock designs. In addition to their collection of both glass and crystal plaques, you can pick designs that include diamond-shaped awards, stars, globes, and clear awards. For a dramatic option that&#;s sure to wow your recipient and anyone who sees it, check out their magnificent crystal flame awards.

3. Precision Artistry of Crystal

Awards and plaques this uniquely splendid are only made possible by the precision design and the personal touch provided by the team of top-notch artisans at FineAwards. Every single piece of crystal is hand-blown and hand-cut with expert precision. Each piece is then hand-finished and individually submitted for closer inspection to ensure they meet FineAwards&#; standard of excellence. Finally, every individual award is delivered to you in a high-end presentation box.

4. Personalized Engraving Free on Crystal

FineAwards is renowned in the industry for their outstanding selection of custom awards. That option for customization certainly applies to their awards. When you want to recognize a team member for their achievements, personalization can be the perfect way to show you genuinely appreciate their contribution. That&#;s why every crystal award from FineAwards features free logo and text engraving&#;so you can create an award that is memorable and meaningful.

5.Professional Awards Service

Another reason that so many of the world&#;s most influential companies, teams, and organizations trust FineAwards for the premier trophies is the level of professional service they know they can trust. Their team is thoroughly trained in every facet of the awards industry, which makes for experience that is invaluable for you. After helping you choose the perfect piece, their expert, in-house design team will touch base to finalize the award&#;s layout with your input and approval at every step.

For more information, please visit Custom Shaped Acrylic Awards.