The present invention relates to novel glass and glass-ceramic materials, articles made from said novel glass-ceramics and to methods of preparing said novel glass-ceramics and articles. Said novel, transparent, translucent or opaque glass-ceramics, which contain, as main crystalline phase, a solid solution of .beta.-quartz or of .beta.-spodumene, essentially have the following composition, expressed as percentages by weight of oxides: 65 to 70% of SiO.sub.2; 18 to 23% of Al.sub.2O.sub.3; >4 to 5% of Li.sub.2O; 0 to <1% of MgO; 1 to 3% of ZnO; 0 to 2% of BaO; 1.8 to 4% of TiO.sub.2; 1 to 2.5% of ZrO.sub.2; 0.4 to 1% of K.sub.2O and/or Na.sub.2O; with, advantageously, an effective and non-excess amount of at least one fining agent. The glass-ceramic material is also characterized by a water content of .beta.-OH higher than 0.2 mm.sup.-1, preferably higher than 0.4 mm.sup.-1.