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Tiffany developed a stained glass technique which incorporated the color in the glass as opposed to the prevailing practice of painting clear glass. He developed a wide range of products based on his stained glass including Tiffany stained glass windows and Tiffany lamps. Some of the types of Tiffany stained glass are described here.

Favrile Glass

Favrile glass was patented in 1880.The name comes from an old French word for handmade. Favrile glass has an iridescence that makes the surface of the glass shimmer and also gives some opacity to the glass. It is manufactured by mixing together, while hot, different colored glasses.

Opalescent Glass

Opalescent glass is a glass with more than one color present. The colored glasses are fused together while hot. It is the base for all the Tiffany products.

Streamer Glass

This type of textured glass has a pattern of strings fixed to its surface. These patterns were used by Tiffany to represent grass, twigs etc. This type of glass is made by picking up the glass using a pontile which is then swung from side to side to stretch the glass into long thin strings. The strings are then pressed onto the surface of molten sheet glass.

Fracture Glass

This type of glass has a pattern of irregularly shaped glass wafers attached to the surface. Fracture glass was used by Tiffany to represent foliage viewed at a distance. The glass wafers are made by blowing a bubble of molten glass until the bubble walls stretch, cool and then harden. The glass bubble with very thin walls is then shattered into shards that are then attached to the surface of molten glass where they become fused.

Ripple Glass

Ripple glass has a texture of surface waves. This type of glass was used by Tiffany to represent leaf veins or water. It is created by taking a sheet of glass and spinning it with a roller that spins faster than it moves forward. This gives a ripple effect to the glass when it cools.

Ring Mottle Glass

Invented by Tiffany in the early years of the 20th century ring mottle glass is distinguished by mottles made by heat treating the glass in various places. Tiffany’s style used many different motifs of mottles and had very little painted detail effects.

Drapery glass

As the name suggests, drapery glass is glass that is folded to mimic the effect of folded cloth. It was used by Tiffany in stained glass church windows for a 3D effect on angel’s wings and flowing robes.

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