It may be helpful to determine if the glass is soda-, lead-, or heavy-leaded crystal. In trying to date some Bohemian stemware, the Rakow Museum curators in Corning suggested I determine the specific gravity of the glass. Remembering my chemistry from back in college almost 50 years ago - yeah, I can do that.... Use Archimede's Principle to determine the *volume* of the piece. Select a proper vessel to hold the object and add enough water to cover. Mark that level. Then submerge the glassware and mark that level, too. The difference in the two will be the object's volume in cubic centimeters. Now weigh the object. Divide one by the other and the result is the specific gravity in grams per cubic centimeter. Soda glass will be on the order of 2.4 g/cc. Leaded glass is about 3.5 g/cc. Heavy leaded crystal will be 4.5+.... With this info, I was able to identify my stemware as Bohemian, 1840-1850. Sadly, no one is buying clear bohemian glass these days.... Cheers

Hello all I would like to reitterate about my earlier post regarding this bowl. Dear Linda C, you have stated in another post that you have never been a dealer so I would hope that you will refrain from suggesting that those of us who are active in the trade, are less than knowledgable about a variety of items. Any dealer of purveyer of fine glass / crystal will tell you that the heavier the content of Lead in the construction of a piece is relative to the ring it produces. Any cyrstal will ring when struck and those items over 33%PBO will have a clearer and cripser ring than those will lower lead content. Waterford Cyrstal is a typcial example as the Lead content is extremely high. So Linda, I would strongly suggest that you cease dismissing my comments and questioning my expertise as I find it offensive and quite amusing given that you have never been a dealer nor do you hold any qualifications as such. I appreciate your comments on items but your comments regarding my expertise and standing as an antiques and collectables dealer are not only offensive and belittling, but ill-directed. I will continue to post in these forums and provide only the very best reliable and thoroughly researched advice from previous experience and well-researched topics. Posting a link to my on-line shop was a mistake as I was not aware this was not an allowable thing to do. And by the way Linda, the hit count on my store is just fine thankyou. I must say that I would welcome you to visit our on-line store and I challenge you to prove the validity of what I have listed as being incorrect or unsubstantiated. If you can, then comments you make within this forum as a NON DEALER may have some substance and would be worth considering. My store has exceptionally exquisite and exclusive items which are all of the highest quality and of superb provenance. I would quite confidently state that unless you can provide irrefutable proof that what I am saying within this forum is totally incorrect and of no substance, then you cease and desist from snowballing my comments. What you are saying can indeed be deemed as slanderous and a personal attack and I would hate to think that you would keep going with your belittling comments with this in mind. This is a friendly, people based forum with EVERYONE able to post comments. I am proud to offer my extensive knowledge and expertise to others who are willing to learn and share what I have to offer. You are not the forum moderator, not an expert Antiques dealer so I will say no more other than your comments regarding my posts are ill-informed, malicous and quite self-righteous and it would be quite a disadvantage for you to continue the path you have criticising my expert comments. For all others in this forum, I am happy to answer any questions or provide any advice to you on any item you may have. Thanks very much and this a forum for EVERYONE, not just a single person who is dilluded in thinking that her opinions and non-professional ideas are gospel. I also appreciate input from others as none of us in the trade can say they know about every item they come across. I take offence to those who criticse others in an attempt to glorify themselves when in fact all they do, is cast a shadow of doubt as to their real itent or reasons for becoming part of forums such as these. I am proud to do what I do and will continue to offer iron clad advice if and when requested to do so. Best regards to all Dean Dean

Well then....you will have to think of something unusual to use as a punch bowl, won't you? How about using a glass bowl inside something else? Also there are lots of milk glass punch bowls on eBay... Linda C Here is a link that might be useful: White Punch bowls

Floating Island Punch (old recipe) 1/2 cup white sugar 1 cup water 6 oz. can frozen orange juice 6 oz. can frozen white grape juice 1 quart ginger ale 1 quart sparkling water or club soda 4 oz. bottle of maraschino cherries 1 orange sliced thinly 1 pint lemon or orange sherbet Heat sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. Cool. Combine fruit juices, sugar water, fruit and add sherbet. Add ice or ice ring. Pour in the ginger ale and sparkling water. I always double this recipe for our family. Sue's Strawberry Punch 1 can of frozen strawberry daiquiri concentrate 1 can frozen white grape juice 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup water 1 small container of frozen strawberries with syrup 1 pint strawberry sherbet 2 quarts sparkling water or club soda Cook sugar and water until the sugar dissolves, then add the concentrated juices and strawberries. Add ice, sherbet and the sparkling water or club soda. This is my recipe I made up for a different punch. They all like this one too. Sue