Jack Badash entered the Gift Industry as a shipping clerk in 1936. Nine years later, after moving up the ranks and gaining invaluable experience and knowledge, he formed ‘Javit Badash Inc.’, the predecessor to Badash Crystal. Jack started Javit Badash Inc. with his immigrant shoemaker father’s life saving of $1,800. Badash became known among buyers for his American made hand-cut and machine-cut tumblers, stemware, gifts, and vases. The business grew slowly but steadily over the next 35 years. Jack was a creative product developer and a dynamic salesman.  He developed many close relationships with customers, suppliers, and sales reps alike. The firm owned and operated cutting shops in Cumberland, Md., and Jane Lew, WV.  In its heyday, Javit was the largest U.S. firm producing hand-cut and machine cut glassware.

In 1980, Jack Badash sold the company and tried retirement. Being way too active and energetic, Jack was not yet suited for retirement, so after a few years of consulting, he began Badash Crystal. Badash Crystal began with hand-cut tumblers as Javit had, then grown to include Russian crystal imports. In 1987, Jack’s son, Mark Badash joined Badash Crystal after becoming disenchanted with the practice of law. Together, Jack and Mark have developed the business by bringing high quality and uniquely designed products from around the globe. 

In April 2011, at the age of 92, Jack passed on and left Mark with a strong diverse organization. Jack believed in the American Dream and his life was an American success story. He had a burning entrepreneurial spirit with a persistence seldom found in today’s world.  Badash, under Mark’s guidance, continues to grow and evolve into the 21st century with exciting new product introductions and navigating all the new ways of communicating and doing business.  Our Point of View

We at Badash continually work to improve everything we do. From our exquisitely handcrafted crystal products to our simple yet elegant gift boxing, our focus is to strive to provide you with the best quality product and service in the marketplace. We are consistently introducing new gift, award and decor ideas in new colors shapes and patterns. Our latest acquisition of Robert M. Weiss Presents brings us into new categories of serving trays, tissue boxes, wall mirrors, coasters, boxes and waste baskets all produced by very talented artisans in Peru using the age old reverse painting on glass technique. For years we have offered and continue to bring the latest and greatest in crystal and products for awards, gifts, decor etc. including bowls, vases, decanters, barware, serve ware, perfume bottles, bottle stoppers, Murano style art glass figurines, candy dishes etc.  Creating Customer Loyalty

A loyal customer comes from customer satisfaction. Our philosophy is to strive to provide our customers with the best value products available – combining quality, style, and value. We focus on all aspects of our product and service and provide our customers with gift items that portray elegance, quality and value. We will protect you by distributing our products through similar high quality levels of distribution and by avoiding discount prices. All sellers on the Web are required to maintain MAP pricing so all distributors are protected.  We Are On Your Team

We want you to think of Badash as member of your staff. We are here to provide you with service and product to help increase your growth, success and profit. We will do everything humanly possible to assist you in achieving these goals. A Look Into The Future

As we continue to grow, our ability to serve you increases. Our commitment is to delight, intrigue and satisfy you, year after year. We accept the challenge of turning new ideas into reality and provide you with superb and unique new gift, award and decor ideas from around the globe.

Crystal and Glass are mystical substances of nature, which evolve from the Earth.  Although solid and hard they are fragile. Often times clear and translucent, they can appear to be invisible.  Like the Rose, crystal and glass are beautiful but can be dangerously sharp. Since 3000 B.C., the shapes and colors of crystal and glass have fascinated and intrigued all ages. 

Webster’s defines crystal as clear colorless glass of superior quality. To the laymen, cut crystal is crystal and clear smooth glass is glass – not necessarily true. The fact is that 24% lead crystal is different then lead free crystal, not necessarily better or worse and not necessarily more or less valuable.  High quality glass or lead free crystal is made up of natural elements like, limestone, sand, sodium oxide, dolomite, and potash. It is environmentally friendly, sustainable and recyclable. To get lead crystal, 24% lead oxide is added to the mix and the product becomes softer, less brittle, and more easily cut.  

“Hand cut” means the glass item is held against a spinning stone to “cut” the design. It is truly artistic workmanship at its best. Our 24% hand-cut lead crystal is produced in the finest factories in Europe by the same artisans that have manufactured for Mikasa, Waterford, Lenox, and Sasaki. Every piece is individually and safely gift boxed. We offer superb quality and value for all your gift giving and/or personal pleasure.

 

Crystal without lead is not any less valuable than full lead crystal particularly when it is thick and heavy and finely designed such as our Sutton Galleries and Manhattan Collections.  In fact, clear uncut crystal has to be particularly fine quality because the “flaws” or natural variations cannot be hidden by the cuts.  Our factories are renowned for their standards of quality, which can be determined by the weight, and clarity of the crystal.   Clear lead free uncut crystal has; over the years become our most popular category and a Badash specialty.  We are proud to offer some of the world’s finest mouth blown lead free crystal.

Over the years, we have developed an extraordinary collection of cased crystal. Cased glass is when a layer of clear glass is blown over a layer of colored glass. This process leaves a nice clear thick sham and some gorgeous color above it. It is an intricate and challenging process that yields beautiful results when performed properly. Please visit Jack’s Palette Collection to see this category of beautiful pieces.Please note: Seeds or bubbles, which are small, are not flaws. Gases form bubbles when chemicals are untied by the melting of raw materials. Seeds do not affect the quality of the glassware or its beauty and small bubbles are a natural outcome of the glass blowing process. They do not affect the quality of the piece unless they are exceptionally large and/or break the surface. Our Murano style art glass collection tends to have more bubbles as here different colors are mixed naturally causing air bubbles in the process- this is normal, natural and acceptable. Each mouth blown piece of glass has its own personality and these minor variations add to its uniqueness. 

A Brief History of Glass

Although, we are not completely certain, it appears the Egyptians began glassmaking as far back as 3,000 years ago. The Romans picked up on it and developed the skill to new levels and dominated glassmaking for centuries. The Venetians, in the 1200s, were the first to develop effective methods for removing impurities from the sand and other ingredients. Their skills became world-renowned.  Glassblowers were actually held captive on the Island of Murano to keep their glassblowing secrets exclusive. Eventually other glassmaking centers began to develop in Germany, Spain and other European countries.  In the U.S. glassmaking started in the 1600s and in the early 1800s American began pressing glass into molds.

Blown Glass

After many hours of melting the ingredients to remove impurities and gases, a glassblower will take a gob of molten material on the end of his iron blowpipe. The blower will then shape the glass and spin the pipe while blowing the entire time. Another method is for the glass blower to inset the molten gob into a mold and blow the glass into the shape of the mold.  To produce bowls or vases, the blower will produce a large bubble at the end of the blowpipe, then hand it off to the master craftsman who, while keeping the glass in motion by rolling the pipe, will shape, cut and cajole the piece into the desired shape. Today much glass is blown by machines, which actually melt, mold and finish the glass products. This process seems to reduce the romance and allure of the crystal or glass. Not so with Badash, we continue to focus on delivering to you beautiful handmade crystal and glass. 

Badash Crystal is heritage quality crystal worthy of passing down from generation to generation!