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Glossary

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Foreword Morton
	 D. Barker The Collection History of Paperweights ManufacturersTechniquesRelated Objects Gallery of Paperweights Glossary of terms Paperweight Resources Search


 

carpet ground

a background design comprised of densely packed millefiori canes, usually similar in design and color

chequers

spaced millefiori canes separated by a checkerboard-style grid of short filigree twists, colored ribbons, or glass rods

close concentric millefiori

millefiori canes arranged in closely spaced concentric rings around a central millefiori cane or cluster of canes

crimp

a tool, often brass, used to press a three-dimensional design into a molten gather of glass, such as in the making of Milleville Roses

crown weight

a paperweight with alternating lengths of vertically twisted colored ribbons and filigree extending from the base to the top of the dome, capped with a millefiori cane

cut glass technique

a technique of cutting into the surface of a glass object with a stone or iron wheel, which creates grooves, grids, and other reflective surfaces

doorstop

a paperweight measuring greater in height than diameter

encased overlay

an overlay weight encased in clear glass

engraving

a technique of cutting into the surface of glass with a metal or stone wheel to create lines or forms, such as portraits

facet

a flat cut on the exterior surface (of a paperweight)

filigree

a clear glass rod enclosing thin, spirally twisted opaque white or colored glass threads

filigree ground

a ground composed of a scattering of short lengths of filigree twists; also called upset muslin

flash

a thin layer of transparent glass applied to the exterior dome of a paperweight as a single overlay, or to the exterior base as a colored ground

garland

an arrangement of millefiori canes in loops, circlets, or other chained configuration

gather

a mass of molten glass on the pontil before it is blown or worked

handcooler

an egg-shaped glass form; according to varied sources, once used to cool ladies' hands

hollow blown technique

a technique of working glass in which the glassblower expels air through a hollow pontil into the gather of glass, forming a hollow globe

jasper ground

a ground made of partially pulverized glass, usually in two or more colors, that resembles the gemstone jasper

lampworking

a technique of shaping clear or colored glass rods with a torch or blowlamp; used in forming all non-millefiori design elements of paperweights, such as animals, flowers, vegetables, and leaves

latticinio

an arrangement of thin, opaque white or colored glass threads in spirals, swirls, or latticework

magnum weight

a paperweight with a diameter greater than 3 1/2 inches

marbrie

a hollow-blown paperweight with a single opaque white overlay festooned with colored loops

millefiori

Italian for "thousand flowers"; adescriptive term for paperweights incorporating any arrangement of millefiori canes

millefiori cane

a segment of glass sliced in cross section from a cylindrical glass rod enclosing a continuous design formed by the bunching of multiple canes in a pattern

miniature weight

a paperweight with a diameter of two inches or less

mushroom

an upright tuft of close millefiori or close concentric millefiori canes, tapering at the base and flaring at the top

overlay

a paperweight that has been coated with one (single overlay), two (double overlay) and sometimes three (triple overlay) layers of opaque or transparent glass and cut with windows to expose the enclosed motif

pastry-mold cane

a millefiori cane that flares at the base

pattern millefiori

a general term for any ordered grouping of millefiori canes other than the defined pattern classifications (such as close or concentric); some patterns are lines, garlands, and circles

Pinchbeck weight

a paperweight with a relief design of metal leaf simulating silver or worked in "Pinchbeck Gold," an alloy simulating gold that was invented by Englishman Christopher Pinchbeck (1670-1732); Pinchbeck designs are set in a base typically of pewter or marble under a magnifying clear glass dome

pontin, pontil
rod

also called a punty; a solid or hollow metal rod used during manufacture to hold and work molten glass from the furnace or from a mold (millefiori base)

posy

a bouquet of millefiori cane flowers

printy

a concave (usually round or oval) cut on the exterior of a paperweight

ribbon

a flattened band of white glass, usually overlaid with one or more colors

rod

a clear or colored, solid cylindrical length of glass

scrambled millefiori

a random assemblage of whole or broken millefiori canes, often including filigree twists and colored ribbons

set-up

a group of lampworked pieces, such as petals and leaves, that will be enclosed in a gather of clear glass in a paperweight

silhouette cane

a millefiori cane enclosing an animal, flower, or figural silhouette of (usually) dark-colored glass

single-cane millefiori

a glass design featuring a single millefiori cane, such as a central cane on a jasper ground

spaced concentric millefiori

millefiori canes arranged in spaced concentric rings

spaced millefiori

a somewhat random arrangement of isolated millefiori canes

stave

a flattened, opaque white or colored cane

stave basket

an outer sheath of staves extending down to the base of the weight, usually arranged in alternating colors

sulphide

a glass-clay paste cameo incrusted in glass

swirl weight

a paperweight with opaque colored glass rods arranged pinwheel-style around a center millefiori cane

torsade

a circuar filigree ring of spiraling opaque white and/or colored glass threads

upset muslin

a tossled arrangement of short filigree sections used as a ground in a paperweight; also called a filigree ground

wafer dish

a shallow glass dish used to hold wax letter seals; it usually has a paperweight base; also called a tazza

     
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