Ready Set Snow!

Let the season of snow and "lights, camera, action" with the hottest celebrities begin! Its officially the awards season where your favorite celebs get glammed up for the biggest and most watched award ceremonies.

Golden Globes: Jan 15th 
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is celebrating their 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards on January 15th 2012. What better way to start the new year by celebrating one of the most esteemed award ceremonies and its nominees. The HFPA is a non-profit that raises money and donates it to entertainment- related charities as well as supporting scholarships as well as other programs to help preserve and support the future of film and television professionals.
Some of the leading nominees are:
The Help: Best Motion Picture (Drama), Viola Davis - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Bridesmaids: Best Motion Picture (Comedy/Musical),  Kristen Wiig - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama)
The Descendants: Best Motion Picture (Drama),  George Clooney - Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), Alexander Payne - Best Director (Motion Picture)

SAG Awards: Jan 29th 
The 18th Screen Actor's Guild Awards will be hosted on January 29th featuring the most talked about and acclaimed actresses and actors in the industry.
"The awards focus on both individual performances as well as on the work of the entire ensemble of a drama series and comedy series, and the cast of a motion picture. These honors are fundamental to the spirit of the Screen Actors Guild Awards because they recognize what all actors know – that acting is a collaborative art.

In that same spirit, the SAG Awards® also commends the outstanding performances by film and television stunt ensembles. "

A few of the Nominations are:

Dexter: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, Michael C. Hall - Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
Modern Family: Outstanding Performance by and Ensemble in a Comedy Series, Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet - Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

Grammys: Feb 12th
One of the most respected award ceremonies in the world that gives acknowledgment to musical artists that stand out and have truly worked and sacrificed to get where they are. Its bringing all talents within the music industry and giving praise to those that have pushed the envelope with creativity and hard work.
Some of the top nominations are:
Adele: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance
Katie Perry:  Record of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance
Bruno Mars: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year

Got an event or ceremony where you want to make a STATEMENT. Let Lut Crystalworks help design and create a show stopper for your event! If your in a time crunch and need something now - just check out our Glam pieces that will definitely be eye catcher!

Take A Load Off...

Smells of gingerbread, pine and homemade cookies infuse homes along with the sounds of laughter, cheer and joy this holiday season. Being that this is always a crazy time of year for everyone you talk to but especially for those who create, design and plan the events. Some examples are the galas, award ceremonies, conferences, golf outings, black tie dinners and even new years eve parties! So who's the ones busiest of all?- The EVENT Planners! 

When you have to take care of the venue, food, seating charts and even lighting let Lut Crystalworks help you out and make it easy when it comes taking care of the events awards and recognition plaques. With plenty of options for conservative to extravagant budgets and quick turnarounds, we can easily take one more mountain of stress off your to do list. 

At times there is no budget and you have to get the best and most creative awards/products but have no clue where to begin. Lut Crystalworks representatives can help guide you so we can bring your ideas into life! If you have a concept in mind don't hesitate to give us a call. Since we specialize in custom projects and have unlimited capabilities amongst a variety of materials, we can practically get anything you need designed and manufactured all under one roof. Lut Crystalworks is here to make your life a little easier because we know how hard you already have to work during this season... so take a load off and call today!

Those Who Deserve It Most

Everyday we pass by people, some we know and others we have never met before. Take a look around and you'll see nurses and doctors; bus drivers and police officers; corporate professionals and educators - all people who take part in what makes this world go round and in some way, shape or form to make our lives just a little bit easier. How can and do they get rewarded for all that they do?

Law Enforcement/ Fire Fighters:

Each day they put their lives on the line for our safety and well being. Some examples of award ceremonies that take place are: Massachusetts Firefighter of the Year Award and Illinois Firefighter Medal of Honor Awards

Shown are some products that these heroes can be commemorated with. Know of any hero's that deserve some awards? Lut Crystalworks has pristine awards for police officers and fire fighters and if you don't see something you like, we can always design and manufacture you a custom design. What about a concept of handcuffs embedded into a lucite award or a custom fireman hat award thats engraved and color filled with the recipients name on the front for starters?

Corporate professionals:

When sales reps that meet or exceed quota and managers that try keep them motivated, encourage them during frustrating times and guide them to excede their own expectations- this is where a companies growth happens and should definitely be rewarded! The sales department are not the only ones that work hard. Don't forget about the marketing and advertising that are continually contributing to the bottom line. Definitely don't forget about the accounting department basically lives at the office for about 3-4 months out of the year and especially the receptionists that are basically the face of your company. Give acknowledgment where it is due- Lut Crystalworks trophies and plaques are a good place to start and if interested we can create unique custom awards for your event or corporate branding. Celebrate retirements and anniversaries, vendor appreciation, fund raising events and conferences with a little extra shine and sparkle...

Teachers/ Principals/ Educational Staff:

The people responsible for educating tomorrow's future deserve quite the appreciation especially for all of the behind the scenes work they do. Grading papers, dealing with child behavioral issues, children with special needs, salary cuts, finding budgets for extracurricular activities to make sure the kids stay in school and off the streets, etc. is part of their daily tasks. At least stop a teacher and tell them "Thank You" next time. Then if there is an event that recognizes their hard work, be sure to award them with a product that is worth showing off to everybody! Below is an example-

Corporate Recognition

Another year is coming to a close with the holidays and new year approaching where employees are getting ready for a break while employers are preparing to take a quick breather and get ramped up for the next year. Throughout the year employers work hard to stay ahead of the game, motivate employees, get their work done and work towards keeping the company in the green leaving them competitive in the market. While employers work hard to make game plans effective and try new tactics to keep employees to work efficiently... employees are coming in early, staying late and working through their lunches to make sure that they get all their work done to meet deadlines and quotas. Lets be honest though, we've got some slackers that hold the rest back... going around spreading gossip and causing more headaches than solving problems.

So how do you keep spirits high and keep momentum? Encourage creativity and reward hard work.
Take Zappo's for example, where they have continuously been on Forbe's Best Companies to Work For list and have relentlessly strived to bring the best out of their employees and make it a place where everyone works hard, has fun and is respected. From the inception of Zappo's, they have become an industry leader by broadening their horizons, challenging themselves and the employees.

These like many companies are closing up a successful year where they have sustained growth and continuously build momentum within their company structure.  The one thing we don't do enough and we are ALL guilty of it is say THANK YOU. Take this opportunity to say thanks to all of the hardworking teams, creative managers, exceptional sales reps, imaginative marketing and advertising teams to just name a few of those who deserve praise and acknowledgment. Here are a few awesome suggestions from Lut Crystalworks on how we can help you spread the creative appreciation.

Reward employees with unique recognition awards - check out Lut's selection here: http://lutcrystalworks.com/products/

If you dont see what your looking for... give us a call where one of our custom designers can help you create the perfect way to say thank you. 

How to Engrave

Everyday we give or receive awards to commemorate hard work, achievement and success. With this we take time to personalize each piece to acknowledge the individual or team/ company that have exceeded expectations and should be recognized for their efforts.
So how do we get your name on the award? Well, the engraving process takes time and has a sequential order to it. First we start with picking out the select style of the award(s) that will be engraving. Once the awards are picked- we make sure we get art approval. Basically we mock up all the names and logo(s) that will be on the award as well as clarify where they will be etched.
When art work is approved, we have to create photomasks of the art work that will be placed onto the awards.

Steps to Create a PhotoMask:
1. Create the art work and print the designs onto a film print.
2. Expose the film print art work to a photoresist film using UV lighting. Areas exposed to the UV light will harden because the film print prohibits the UV lighting to shine through the photoresist which will leave an exact outline of the artwork.
3. Use pressurized water to wash the photoresist film which will wash away the non-exposed areas and leave you with a photomask of your art work design.
4. Clean the appropriate spaces with some glass cleaner where the artwork will go on the awards.
5. Once awards are cleaned and dry- place photo mask on the award where the engraving will take place.

Check out this video to see how to apply a photomask to a flat surface. 

However, applying a photomask to a flat surface may not seem as hard and time consuming. So you may ask - what about curved surfaces? Well, curved surfaces are definitely a bit more tricky and timely. As seen in the video above, the artwork needs to be scaled at 100% to make sure it is perfectly accurate. Though, if its a curved surface (such as a bowl or a vase) we need to curve the wording and sometimes the image to make sure it fits well.

  Check out this video to see some helpful tips on applying a photomask to a curved surface.

Now that we have approved artwork, turned the artwork into a photomask and applied it to our piece(s) - its finally time to etch/engrave. When sandblasting,  we need to use a high-pressure of compressed air and sand that is only the best, purest and highest  quality rated that doesn't have any debris which can cause imperfections onto the piece being etched. Once the photomask is taped on and ready for engraving, it is placed in an etching machine where it the piece sits on top of a rack while high pressure sand is sprayed over it. The sand eats through the lighter part of the photomask which in turn ends up being the etched area on the award. 

Take a look and let us know what we can engrave for you today!

http://lutcrystalworks.com/

Lets Get Ready for the Holidays!

Now that Halloween's over and Black Friday is right around the corner, it's time to start thinking about the Holidays and gift giving. What better way than to give your clients or employees crystal ornaments!
Ornaments carry significance of appreciation and thoughtfulness and a great way to finish the year by saying Thank You!








Lut's stocked crystal ornaments are made from crystal or clear, jade or star-fire glass.

Since ornaments carry such significance, we understand that sometimes your looking for something more specific... for example - an ornament of your logo? Well, let us know what you specifically want so we can make it happen. We can water jet the shape and laser engrave, etch, or digital print your custom design onto the ornament. The ornaments come in pouches or presentation boxes. Prices may vary, dependent upon what type of material is used. Ornaments will be available on our site coming this week! Take a gander...

Presentation Plates

Something new that has been increasingly popular are Presentation Plates.


Our new Presentation Plates that are going to be hitting the market come in a Metallic Grey or Saffron Orange finish.










These plates are fused together with two pieces of jade glass with a gold or silver leaf sandwiched in between them.
Check out the new designs!

Happy Halloween! Check out how the World's Largest Mouth Blown Pumpkin is made!

Deal Toys

Deal Toys are commemorative custom memorabilia that are created to acknowledge the success of closing a deal.

The most common reasons for creating a deal toy are for:
- Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)

- When a company goes public - Initial Public offering (IPO)
- Successful Deal Closings
- Money Raised
- Successful Start -Ups
- Milestones Achieved / Reached

Deal toys are given to all parties that take place in the success of a deal. For instance, the issuer of the deal; the law firms involved; the investment banks that secure the funding; and any other parties that may take part in the deal making.

Black tie galas or dinners are usually taken place to acknowledge the firms, companies and individuals that worked together on the deal.

When a deal toy is created, we first need to start out with an idea. With this we have a few options. You can take a standard piece and slightly modify it. The next option is to make something completely custom in which we take a concept from drawing to final product. That, or we can integrate a featured product directly into the design. Here we have to find out some very pertinent information about the project such as, how big it is going to be, and what is it going to look like. We have to start with drawings and renderings where we then lead into what types of materials will be used. For instance, acrylic, lucite, crystal, metal, resins, etc. are common materials used in many of our final pieces.

Deal Toys usually consist of logos of the companies involved, along with the names and date of the deal closed. Once the artwork is finalized and approved, we make a mold where we could then apply any finish needed suggested by the client. Once it's created, it is sent over to the client for final approval before scheduling mass production. If not, then the proper adjustments are made. Once corrected, the pieces are put into production and shipped out to the client with either standard or custom presentation boxes.

Manufacturing Practices

After learning about the origin of fire art (crystal and glass), the next step is to transition to how your final product takes it shape.

Jade glass is for the most part machine made and has minimal hands on manipulation of the product (obviously depends on the design of the product). Jade glass comes in large sheets that are cut and fed in to a machine or preheated oven. The most popular jade glass designs would be curved plaques like our Lucia or curved crescents like our Fresno. These items are extremely popular due to their lower price points and large personalization areas. Probably the best way of seeing how glass is bent is by checking out this video of how a small shop does it-

Optical crystal is currently one of the most popular materials to work with. Not only because of it's brilliance and density but also of it's low cost for custom startup designs. The raw material comes in blocks which are cut, shaped, beveled, polished, then glued depending on the design that is provided. Each piece is hand made and there will be some minor variances between each item in a series which is acceptable. Presentation boxes can also be custom designed and personalized to the customers needs but typically a nice die cut foam packaging is included with the price of the unit.

Cutting bevels in to product

Once the pieces have all been beveled, shaped and polished we have to take all the separate pieces and bring them together. Anytime there are multiple pieces that need to be bonded, each individual piece is fused together with UV glue. The glue is cured with an ultra violet light which allows for extremely strong bonding and clean and clear finish. This is an industry standard for bonding the materials together and you can see a large variety of of the final products by clicking on our NEW DESIGNS tab on our site. There is a nifty widget called a Price Slider where you can adjust the price range to show what products are within your budget.

                         Here's a couple of our New 2011 Designs!

                    

Lead Crystal is a totally different animal than jade or optical crystal manufacturing processes. Lead crystal and many forms of glass are hand made and mouth blown. For thousands of years nothing much has changed from the original methods of this type of manufacturing. It requires the same basic set of tools, a furnas, and skilled craftsman. Adding lead content to the glass increases the weight of each product but also increases it's light refractions. Getting the right percentage of lead in the glass is crucial to a quality of the product but the most important factor of all is the talented craftsman that blow the glass and cut the facets in to each of the products. This beautiful product is typically more expensive due to the amount of highly skilled labor that goes in to producing each piece. 

The video below has a pretty good overview of how glass blowing is done.

Our custom division has the capabilities of bringing together the world of crystal and glass manufacturing to your doorstep. We challenge you to challenge us to bring your project to life!

Where your crystal and glass awards come from-

One of the biggest confusions in the promotions industry is the difference between crystal and glass. At the end of the day crystal IS glass and glass IS crystal. The main difference between all of these different types of glass and crystal is the quality of the material and what is put in to it.

Below are 3 of the main types of glass/ crystal that you will see throughout our product line and the industry. If you have any other questions about Jade Glass, Optical Crystal, or Leaded Crystal feel free to contact one of our customer service representatives and they will be more than happy to educate you or your client about the material and processes used.

Jade Glass is formed from silica sand and gets its green tint from the amount of iron ore that is added to the mixture. The thicker the glass the more apparent the green tint is but it is still transparent and when beveled and polished makes a great award. Almost all jade glass is machine made as it is a lower cost material and widely mass produced. The most popular styles of jade glass awards would be the curved plaques and crescents which are perfect for tight budgets. You can view an example of one of these styles of awards by clicking here.

Phoenix Jade Glass Award

Optical Crystal is formed from molten material that is subjected to intense pressure to make sure that there aren't any issues such as formations or air bubbles inside of it. Once its hardened and ready to be made into a masterpiece the crystal is polished, cut and beveled into the appropriate design. Optical crystal is mainly made in China and is known for it's flawless pristine quality. The blocks come in a variety of colors but the most popular are; Clear, Blue and Black. There are many more colors to choose from but will have to be special ordered upon request for custom projects.
Here are a few images of Optical Crystal in its raw form...

Clear Optical Crystal

Black Optical Crystal

Orange Optical Crystal

Blue Optical Crystal

Lead Crystal is said to date back to the 1600s where it was and continues to be featured as a premier luxury item. Lead crystal is formed from glass that has been treated with lead oxide to add clarity and refraction that sparkles and durability for creative designs and facets that are added to the crystal by skilled craftsmen. Some of the most talented glass blowers can be found in Poland, Italy and Czech Republic. Being that the highest quality of this material comes from talented artisans there is a premium on these goods. You get what you pay for and lead crystal products are definitely the cream of the crop in the world.

Volore Lead Crystal Vases

To give you an idea the amount of craftsmanship that has to go in to producing just one piece check out the video clip below which features artists blowing glass and molding the glass.

Lut Crystalworks New Website Unveiled

9.30.11  Today marks the day Lut Crystalworks has launched its new site that’s showcasing our most contemporary products ever in the marketplace! With a variety of colorful and unique styles of awards to choose from, any recipient would fall in love with!

We have been recognized in the promotions industry as a premier 5 star crystal and glass awards supplier with ASI and SAGE (ASI#: 68199, SAGE #: 68756). Our team continuously strives to guide, streamline the process and exceed the expectations of our clients. Our reviews speak for the quality of work and service put towards each and every order.


Is your client looking for something "different" that has a bit more life to it? Check out the the Designer Collection where you will see the sleekest designs integrated with vivid bright shades of optical crystal. 


Another great exclusive feature on our site is the Price Slider. You can adjust the thermometer based on your clients budget, click on view products below the thermometer, and our site will generate a list of  the products that we have within your price range along with their associated products! 

Our Executive Diamond Collection embodies the 4 C's that every diamond should – Sharp Cut, Stunning Clarity, Beautiful Color and your client will definitely feel the Carat weight when they hold one of these pretty ladies! (Not actual diamonds, material is optical crystal)

We understand that in todays heavily inundated recognition industry we want to make life easier for our clients so all of our products feature:

- Complimentary Artwork

- No Set up Charges
- No Copy Changes (up to 4 lines)

- Complimentary Engraving

- Beautiful Presentation Boxes Included

The grandeur of our Lead Crystal Collection premiers some of the worlds most intricately detailed and exotic lead crystal that’s hand cut and mouth blown. The current selection features Italian 24% Leaded Crystal Trophies and Vases but will also soon be showcasing our Exclusive Polish 24% Leaded Crystal as well...

If we don't have what what you're looking for or can't source it, then we'll make it! Simply check out the Custom Collection to sneak a peek of some of our completed projects! Like Everything in life.. It all begins with an idea.. Just give Lut Crystalworks a call and we would be more than happy to help you!

Come visit us at: http://lutcrystalworks.com/

http://lutcrystalworks.com/