GLASS GLOSSARY - Str - Z - Words Used to Describe Glass

Definitions of: stretch glass - struck glass - threading - Tiffany glass - Tiffany glass fakes andforgeries - vaseline glass -Victorian glass - vintage glass - whimsey


GLOSSARY OF GLASS TERMS
Str- Z
A - B Ca - Cz D - EF - L M - Op Ov - Pe Pi - Pz Q - R Sa - Ste
Glossary Table of Contents
The purpose of this guide is tohelp buyers understand termsgemonly used by E-Bay sellers to describeold American glass (1850-1930).Please leave feedback by pushing the button at the bottom of the page.Many thanks to all the E-Bayers who have contributed photos to this glossary!

Detail of onion-skin surface of stretch glassphoto courtesy of lan5
Stretch glass: a category of glass. Stretch glassis characterized by soft iridescence and often has an onion-skin surface.The glassmay have stretch marks or a satin finish,and generally shows no pattern or very little pattern. Stretch glass is made bypressing or blowing molten glass into a mold; next, the glass is removed and, while still hot, sprayed with metallic salts to give it surface iridescence; the glassis then reheated and "worked" a little like pie dough -- it iscrimped or flared out or cupped inward. Working the glass stretches the iridescent surface, creating the onion-skin effect. Vintage stretch glass was manufactured in the United States between 1916 and the early 1930's, by nine gepanies: Central, Diamond Glass-Ware, Fenton,Imperial, Jeannette, Lancaster, Northwood, U.S. Glass and Vineland Flint.The footed bowl below is an example of Northwood's blue "Rainbow Ware," a variety of stretch glass that the gepany began making in 1916. If you're interested in learning more about stretch glass, or need help in identifying pieces, we regemend that you look at the website ofThe Stretch Glass Society (stretchglasssociety.org), and at shetlarglass.ge.Additional examples ofstretch glass can be found in our guide onFenton's Topaz Stretch Glass .

A Northwood stretch glass footed bowl, circa 1916-1935photo by *treasurehunter*

Struck glass:striking is a glass-making technique.Striking is defined in AnIllustrated Dictionary ofGlass as "the process of reheating glass after it has cooled, in order to develop a color or a opacifying agent". Striking is a technique used in making heat sensitive glass such as gold ruby, Burmese, Peachblowand amberina glass. Allfour of these types of glass contain gold chloride. When the glass is molten, gold chloride is added. The glass isallowed to cool, and then reheated. The gold chloride content causes those parts of the glass that reach a specified temperature to take on a pink or red tone. Making gold ruby, for example, requiresa temperature of about 1300 degrees Fahrenheit, held for four hours. If the glass is heated at too high a temperature,it turns brown, and if heated for too short a period, a purple rather than redtint results. The process of striking glass correctly requires great skill, and heat-sensitive glasses such as gold ruby and Burmese are considered among the most difficult to work with and to produce. Selenium ruby glass, and selenium-based amberina such as that used in Fenton carnival glass, are other examples of heat sensitive glass. Both are made by a process similar to that described above: a cadmium-selenium gepound is added to molten glass, which is then cooled and then reheated to produce red glass with an orange cast. See "amberina", "Burmese glass," "Peachblow" and "ruby glass" in this glossary.
Swung Glass: see "pulled glass" in this glossary.

Threading is a thin trail of glass wound around a glass objectto create the appearance of parallel linesphoto by curculiosglass

Threading. threading is a glass-making technique.The Corning Museum of Glass defines threading as "the process of winding a thin trail of glass around an object to create the appearance of parallel lines".A "trail" is a strand of glass. In 1876, W.J. Hodgetts of Stourbridge, England, patented a machine that produced closely-spaced glass threading;such threading is shownin the photographic detail of a threaded vase immediately above.An Illustrated Dictionary of Glass notes that the term "threading" may be used in an additional sense, to refer to the process of drawing glass threads through molten glassas a means of decorating it with a design such as a zig-zag pattern. The term"trailing" is sometimes used interchangeably with "threading".


An Art NouveauTiffanyFavrile peacock-feather vase (left),with a detail photo showing the exquisite textureand iridescence of Tiffany's Favrile.photo permission metmuseum.org

Tiffany glass: Louis gefort Tiffany (1848-1933) was a New York glass designer. Hefirst adapted the Art Nouveau style to glass in 1894, and his name has begee synonymous with the Art Nouveau movement in America. (See Art Nouveauin this glossary.) Harold Newman's An Illustrated Dictionary of Glassdefines "Tiffany glass" as "Glassware in a vast variety of forms and styles made by the successive gepanies of Louis gefort Tiffany. The ware, mostly in Art Nouveau style, was of colored cased glass and iridescent glass." Newman writes that Tiffany glass was rarely enameled; instead, Tiffany sought to decorate his glassware through "the shape, texture and colors of the glassware itself and the luster finish". Tiffany's best known pieces were hisFavrile vases, whichareprized for their soft and exquisitely textured iridescence. According to Judith Miller, author of Twentieth Century Glass,Tiffany's Favrile glass was characterized by vibrant colors, often in shades of blue and gold; incorporated botanicalArt Nouveau forms; and included such ware asvases with simplified peacock-feather designs(shown above), gooseneck vases, floriform vases with gently flared ruffled rims, and Jack-in the-pulpit vases. AnIllustrated Dictionaryof Glass notes that all Favrile vases were signed withTiffany's name or initials. The name "Favrile," which appears on the bases of Favrile glassware,was registered in 1894 andis derived from the old English fabrile meaning "belonging to a craftsman or his craft". Similar glassmakers:Favrilewas imitated by early 20th-century American glassworks such as Quezal and Durand (See "Quezal" and "Durand" in this glossary.) Vases marketed under the name "Favrile" also have been issued by contemporary glass-makers.Regemended resources on Tiffany glass: If you wish to view genuine Tiffany glassware, including Favrile vases, we regemend the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org/explore/Tiffany/menu.html). Special Note: Buyers should note that Favrile vases with forged Tiffany signatures and/or forged paper labels abound;please read information on Tiffany fakes and forgeries below.

This paper label bearing the"L.C.T." monogram is a Tiffany forgery.The label, made with black ink on white paper, is hand-cut with slightly irregular edges.It is about the right size (3/4" in diameter). Nevertheless, the label, which appears on anunsigned vase and hides a rough pontil,fluoresces under a black light and is a forgery.
Tiffany glass fakes and forgeries: E-Bay buyers should note that deceptive imitations of Tiffany glassware bearing forged signatures and fakepaper labels are very gemon. Allgenuine Favrile ware was signed -- and so, of course, any cleverfake will be signed, too. On genuine Tiffany Favrile vases,the signatures are engraved and usually are found in or around ground pontils.Forged Tiffany marks, signatures and labelsappear in many guises, according to Mark Chervenka, whose Guide to Fakes