About Our Crystals

What is an engraved crystal?

Our crystals are clear K9 glass with a design laser-etched into the center via subsurface laser engraving. Take a look at our Engraving Process section for a much more in-depth overview of the process.

How does the order and engraving process work?

When you place your secure order on our site, we send your artwork to our designers to edit the background contents out for clarity. Then, we take the edited file and our designers convert it to a three dimensional scene using the same 3D modeling software that the movies pros use for their Hollywood blockbusters. After that, we will place the three dimensional scene onto our engraving software, load your crystal into the laser engraver, and begin the engraving process, which can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. Once it's done, we will polish any remaining fingerprints off your crystal, pack it into its gift box and send it directly to you! You can find more information on how this bit of magic works at our in-depth Engraving Process section.

Do you remove the background of my photo before engraving it?

Absolutely, for no additional charge! The background of your photo is professionally removed by our designers before converting to 3D, to highlight the most important parts of your photo. If you'd like us to not remove the background, please contact us after placing your order with your order number and request that we leave your background in place.

What makes it 3D?

Our designers are skilled at taking your 2D image and converting what they see into three dimensions using state-of-the-art 3D modeling software. It's very advanced, but it's not magic. We can't render what we don't see – for example, we can't render the back of a head if we're only looking at the front.

What is HD Edge™?

HD Edge™ is a unique engraving process that ensures your engraving shines brighter and more defined than any other crystal company. We custom-optimize your photo with both artificial intelligence and manual editing techniques to brighten dark areas and darken especially bright areas so each segment of your photo will show up with vibrancy. Dark portions of your image (such as tuxedos or hair) are created by spreading out dots further apart, making them hard to see and not well-defined, and bright portions (such as a wedding dress) condense dots close together, making them prone to "cracking" inside of your crystal. With our unique HD Edge™ process, we equalize your image so the dark portions show up brighter, without jeopardizing the crystal itself.

Can I get my engraving in color?

Unfortunately, because of the way the Engraving Process works, we aren't able to create engravings in color. With our engraving process, we don't actually print anything or use any ink on your crystal. We create "microfractures" in the crystal with a laser beam that allows us to create images in the glass in shades of white. Trust us, though, you'll love it!

Will you engrave adult content?

Absolutely, we'll engrave adult content provided the content is legal in the United States. Many couples have wanted their intimate photographs engraved onto a crystal, and we can do that for you, too. Your sensitive photo is kept completely safe within our organization and will not be shared.

Can you make a crystal in a custom shape?

Wouldn't that be neat? Unfortunately, though, we cannot offer custom shapes. Our crystals are all pre-shaped and cut by specialized glass manufacturers so that we can focus on engraving and shipping and delivering your order by your guaranteed delivery date, in a padded gift box designed to fit the crystal shape you select. For a list of all of our shapes that we offer, please see our Crystals by Shape section.

How much does the crystal weigh?

Probably more than you'd expect! The crystals are solid glass, so they can weigh a bit. All of our crystals have the weight and dimensions underneath the Additional Information link on the product detail page. Our smallest crystal (the Mini Tower) weighs 6.4oz, and our heftiest crystal (the Large Cube) weighs in at 6 pounds!

What's the difference between Build Your Own Crystals and 3D Designs and Motifs?

Our Build Your Own Crystals selection allows you to customize your crystal by uploading your own photo and have it engraved onto the crystal, with your selected text. These are 3D images that have been converted from a 2D picture. We offer a variety of inspirational events to choose from, such as various occasions and popular holidays. Alternatively, you can navigate right to our Crystals by Shape section to pick a crystal shape and begin building right from there. Our 3D Designs and Motifs are popular fully 3D objects, such as zodiac signs, religious designs, sports and hobbies, that can be accompanied by your own text caption.

About Our Site

What is the Trust Promise?

Your trust is the most important gift you can give us. Because of this, we strive to earn your trust throughout your visit by sticking to 5 basic promises. We explain every one of these promises in detail on our Trust Promise page.

How do I create an account?

While it's not necessary to create an account, you can easily create an account by clicking the "Account" link at the top right of the page and selecting "Create Account." You can also fully check out as a guest throughout the order process, and optionally create an account at the end of the order process!

How do I contact someone at Crystal Clear Memories?

We're always reachable! Head over to our Contact Us page to ask us any questions you may have. Additionally, you may use our chat feature to message us immediately - just look for the chat icon in the bottom right of your page.

How do I give feedback?

Feedback is always welcome, good or bad! Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us at our Contact Us page and let us know what's on your mind.

Do you sell my information?

Absolutely not! It's one of our Trust Promises. Your information is safe with us and we will absolutely not sell your data to third parties or unscrupulous foreign (or non-foreign!) governments.

Ordering

Do I have to create an account when I order?

No! We know you value your time and don't want or need another password to remember. You can purchase anything on our site as a guest, and have the option to create a password to create your account at the end. If you'd rather not, that's great too!

How do I view my cart?

From any page, simply click the Cart icon in the top right of your page to be brought to your shopping cart! You can probably guess that it's the icon that looks like an actual shopping cart from your neighborhood grocery store.

Do I have to pay sales tax?

We are proudly based in Tampa, Florida, and engrave and ship right from our little slice of paradise. Because of this, we must charge sales taxes to Florida residents. Residents from any other state do not have to pay sales taxes when ordering from us, at least for now.

What kind of payment options are available?

We accept all major credit and debit cards during checkout. Additionally, we also support checking out through PayPal. Simply follow the instructions during the checkout process and select PayPal if you choose to use this option. We don't accept checks or IOUs, but I don't think you were planning on paying with them anyway.

Is my credit card information secure?

Absolutely! And we're not just saying that. Our payment provider "tokenizes" your credit card the moment you enter it, meaning we never even see it. That's right, your credit card on our servers is a bunch of garbled letters called a "token," and the only thing we can do with it is authorize the charge. This is what allows us to be PCI DSS compliant, which is a fancy way of saying that we adhere to the same standards that companies handling credit cards have to abide by. We also use bank-grade encryption of your data, so if you're at a public hotspot, no one will be able to "sniff" your visit to us and farm your data. If you read this paragraph all the way to the end, congratulations! You're probably the first one who did.

How do I track my order?

You can track your order any time at our Track Your Order page. Additionally, once your order ships, you'll receive an email with your order tracking information. We do have a processing/handling time before shipping while we edit the backgrounds out of your image, convert it to 3D and personally engrave it. We prioritize orders based on the promised delivery dates, so the actual handling time may vary based on your proximity to us - but not to worry, your crystal will arrive by the guaranteed delivery date! You can track your order at any time with the Track Your Order page, the link in your shipment confirmation email, or by logging into your account if you created one and clicking My Orders.

How do I get more information about bulk or large orders?

Do you have a large number of crystals you'd like to engrave? Are you a corporate customer looking into producing custom crystals for your office? Please get in touch with us via our Contact Us page and we'd love to talk!

What countries do you deliver to?

Currently, we deliver to the United States only. We are working with shipping partners to bring our products worldwide, so stay tuned! Perhaps you live in another country and are interested? Please drop us a note on our Contact Us page and we'll investigate what it would take to add your country as an option.

Can I change my photo?

Once you submit your order, we begin working on converting your photo to 3D almost immediately. We unfortunately cannot change the photo you wish to use after 30 minutes. If it has been less than 30 minutes since placing your order, please reach out to us via our Contact Us page.

How do I cancel my order?

You can cancel your order within 30 minutes of purchase by contacting us through our Contact Us page or replying to the order confirmation email. Once that time has elapsed, we can cancel your order up to shipping for a $20 processing fee to cover our 3D design costs. After your crystal ships, we can't cancel your order. Your order is always covered by our Satisfaction Guarantee detailed in our Trust Promise.

The image on my order isn't what I submitted! What do I do?

Not to worry! Our "default" photos for the listing will never be engraved by our team. If you see a link to a "Photo" in your order details, we have your photo! If we don't have it, we'll reach out to you via email to make sure we get it. We'll never engrave a photo that you didn't submit!

Build Your Own Crystals

What's the difference between the holiday and occasion crystals?

An engraved crystal is a great gift for any holiday or occasion! Our holiday and occasion sections are great inspirations for gift ideas. The shapes are the same throughout the model line, but the gift ideas are always in season. Someday, we may offer specific shapes for certain holidays.

How do I upload a photo?

Easy! When you're on the product page for the crystal you're interested in, click the Choose Photo button and navigate to your photo on your mobile device, tablet or computer. If you're on mobile, your device should allow you to pick a photo directly from your camera roll. If the photo won't work for some reason (such as being too small), you'll see an error and be instructed to try again with another image. If you don't have your image handy during the order process, you can always select Choose Later and we'll reach out to you via email for your photo. Note that this may delay the delivery date.

How do I know if my photo is good quality?

Our servers automatically analyze your photo after you upload it. If there's a problem with the file size or quality, you will be presented with an error message allowing you to upload a new photo. Additionally, we will manually check the photo for quality before engraving, if it is too small, too blurry, or if any other issue comes up, we will contact you via email to fix the problem. Note that this may delay the delivery date.

What kind of text can I add?

You are able to add customized text to your crystal in addition to selecting a photo to be engraved. There are two lines to enter text, each supporting a maximum of 40 characters. There is a counter to indicate how many characters are remaining for each line.

What are my font choices?

You are able to choose any of our 5 fonts to engrave your text in. We offer popular fonts such as Georgia, Helvetica, Century Gothic, Rockwell and Edwardian Script. You will be able to see what the fonts look like in the display list when selecting a font.

How do I get a proof before production?

At the moment, we aren't able to offer proofs before production. We offer our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee as part of our Trust Promise if you are unsatisfied with the final product for any reason.

Do you offer corporate trophies or awards?

Any of our products can be used as a corporate trophy or award! Please Contact Us if you would like to inquire into bulk orders. We will be adding more shapes in the future, such as shapes specifically designed to be used as trophies.