Here's to crystalline

For generations, crystal’s been desired because of its brilliance, quality, and the sounds it can produce when coerced with a clink or caress. But, traditional crystal is made by adding lead to glass, a metal that's proven to be both unhealthy and unsustainable. We’ve decided to keep led out of our products. So, when creating DYRGRIP glassware collection, we chose another material: crystalline. And contacted a renowned Swedish glass designer.

"Crystalline offers a brilliance and clarity that's similar to traditional crystal but is free from lead," explains Misco Veselinovic, glass expert at IKEA. "And the nice sound is still there.”

Offering quality alternatives

Part of Misco's job is to ensure our products meet or exceed all safety and quality regulations put in place by different countries and organizations. "We take the toughest regulation we can find globally and we use that for our products," says Misco. "It's the same when it comes to strength and durability. We always look for the strictest standards and those are the ones we try to meet." Crystalline is a particularly resilient type of glass. It's more resistant to breaks than other glass types, stands up to industrial dishwasher tests, and maintains its brilliance for longer.

Raise a glass to design

DYRGRIP was designed by renowned Swedish glass and ceramic designer Ingegerd Råman. Her prized creations are always an unassuming blending of function and beauty. Ingegerd happily explains the consideration that went into each millimetre of her design, exacting the proportions of foot, stem and bowl. She laboured to create perfect harmony, but is quick to dismiss the significance of her efforts. "You don't need to know this. You should just feel it when you lift the glass," she says, going on to explain that the quality of crystalline lets the best traits of what you're drinking shine through. "The drink should be the focus," she explains. "The main decoration is what you pour in the glass."