Glass Information and Education

eglomise:The decorative application of gold or silver leaft to a glass surface which is then engraved. It was usually applied on the reverse of an object and protected by varnish, metal foil or another layer of glass.

egyptian blue: A synthetic material, copper calcium tetrasilicate, with a distinctive blue color. In antiquity, Egyptian blue was made by heating together silica, lime, and a copper-containing ingredient. It is often confused with faience and misleadingly called frit.

enamel: A vitreous substance made of finely powdered glass colored with metallic oxide and suspended in an oily medium for ease of application with a brush. The medium burns away during firing in a low-temperature muffle kiln (about 965° - 1300° F or 500° - 700° C). Sometimes, several firings are required to fuse the different colors of an elaborately enameled object.

enamelling: Decoration in which finely powdered glass coloured with metal oxides is applied to the surface of a glass object and then fused to the glass surface by firing.

encased glass: An object, such as a paperweight, that is covered with a layer of colorless glass.

engraving: The process of cutting a design into the surface of a glass object with a sharp implement such as a needle or wheel.

Estonian Glass: Glassware produced in Estonia beginning in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

etching, acid-etching: A technique in which controlled exposure of the surface of glass to hydrofluoric acid results in shiny, matt or frosted decoration of the exposed area.

epergne: A composite, frequently tiered centerpiece used on the dinner table for serving or display in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

eye bead: A bead decorated with applied or embedded circular elements that resemble eyes.