(1) A rounded, hollow vessel; (2) the uppermost part of a goblet, tazza, or wineglass.

(from French salière, “salt dish”) A small bowl used at the table for salt.

A tray for serving. At first, salvers were used primarily for presenting objects to rulers. More recently, the word is used to denote trays used for presenting letters or visiting cards, or for serving refreshments.

Silicon dioxide, a mineral that is the main ingredient of glass. The most common form of silica used in glassmaking has always been sand.

The mixture of raw materials (often silica, soda or potash, and lime) that is melted in a pot or tank to make glass. Cullet, as well as minor ingredients such as colorants, can be added to the batch to help the melting process.

The most common form of silica used in making glass. It is collected from the seashore or, preferably, from deposits that have fewer impurities. For most present-day glassmaking, sand must have a low iron content. Before being used in a batch, it is thoroughly washed, heated to remove carbonaceous matter, and screened to obtain uniformly small grains.

A form used for shaping and/ or decorating molten glass. Some molds (e.g., dip molds) impart a pattern to the parison, which is then withdrawn, and blown and tooled to the desired shape and size; other molds (sometimes known as full-size molds) are used to give the object its final form, with or without decoration. Dip molds consist of a single part and are usually shaped like beakers. Full-size molds usually have two or more parts and can be opened to extract the object. Nowadays, most molds are made of metal, but stone, wood, plaster, and earthenware molds were used in the past and are still occasionally employed today.

A non-shiny finish made by grinding, sandblasting, or exposing the surface to fumes of hydrofluoric acid.

The technique of forming a vessel by winding or gathering molten glass around a core supported by a rod. After forming, the object is removed from the rod and annealed. After annealing, the core is removed by scraping.