The beauty of glass speaks for itself. Yet the language of glass can often be confusing. Glassworks offers clear definitions to some of the words most commonly used in the production of art glass-works.

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• Anneal

  The process of heating glass and allowing it to cool to room temperature. Annealing relieves internal stresses, resulting in a stronger glass material.

• Beveled glass

  Glass with a slanted edge that has been cut to achieve a prismatic effect.

• Cast glass

  Glass that is shaped by a mold.

• Carved glass

  Glass that has been sandblasted to varying depths and levels, giving it a hand "carved" appearance.

• Fused glass

  Pieces of glass that are joined together through a process of heating and cooling.

• Kiln

  An oven used to heat glass. Often associated with ceramics, kilns support high, uniform temperatures that can be controlled and adjusted to achieve specific end results.

• Laminated glass

  A layer of resin is poured or placed between two pieces of glass. Used as one of Glassworks' safety glass choices, if one of the glass surfaces breaks, the piece is held together by the plastic inner layer.

• Leaded glass

  Stained or clear glass held together by soldered lead. Used for both exterior and interior windows and openings, leaded glass can be designed in a variety of sizes and shapes.

• Ovenwork

  See kiln

• Safety glass

  Safety glass is glass that has been strengthened or reinforced so if broken, it breaks into tiny pieces rather than shards. Ideal for a number of applications, many building codes require the use of safety glass. Safety glass should be installed where there is a great deal of public traffic.

• Slumped glass

  The "slumping" process uses a combination of heat and bending to mold flat glass into three-dimensional shapes.

• Tempered glass

  Another option for safety glass, tempered glass undergoes a heat-treatment in a controlled environment that results in a stronger glass. Should tempered glass break, it will form "pebbles" instead of dangerous shards.