"Pure, Clean Crystal"Over the past four decades, wine and spirits glass design has experienced a renaissance. Recently, scientists discovered the dangers of lead crystal, most significantly when storing wine and spirits for an extended period in decanters, allowing lead to leach into the contents. Originally, lead oxide was added to glassware as a manufacturing aid. Now, technology has progressed to the point where the addition of lead delivers little or no value to the wine enthusiast's experience. Despite increasingly stronger industry warnings, several of the world's top stemware manufacturers continue to use lead in production. The founder of Ravenscroft, Stephen Falango, has leveraged his background in Economics and Public Policy with an unbridled passion for wine, to shape the company as well as the glasses. As a young man during his Master's studies, he became deeply committed to environmental protection, which resulted in his dedication to lead-free crystal. In the spring of 1999, Stephen proposed that their factory create a line of wine-specific stemware and decanters. Stephen's passion and experience as a wine educator, sommelier, winemaker, avid wine collector, and entrepreneur inspired his craftspeople to focus on maximizing the pleasure of wine, while respecting the well-being of wine lovers worldwide.