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Glass consists of a network former, typically silica (SiO2), and network modifiers, including alkali fluxes such as potassium oxide or sodium oxide, and a stabilizer, typically calcium oxide. Lead oxide acts as both a flux and a stabilizer. Lead glass forms part of the silica-potassium-lead system, where lead replaces the calcium content of typical potash glasses. Lead glass contains typically 18–35 mol% PbO, whilst modern lead crystal, historically also known as flint glass due to the original silica source, contains a minimum of 24% lead oxide.
Technically, the term crystal should never be applied to glass, as glass, by definition, lacks a crystalline structure. The use of the term lead crystal remains popular due to historical and commercial reasons; originally stemming from the Venetian use of the word cristallo to describe the rock crystal imitated by Murano glassmakers. This is a naming convention which has been maintained to the present day to describe decorative hollowware.
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