"Coraline" is our word for today. Besides the name of a Tim Burton movie, it also refers to a type of decorative glass that was popular during the early twentieth century. I was inspired to write about coraline when I saw this classic example, a Tiffin Glass Company poppy vase, (below) in my friend Charlotte's booth at the Mega Mall in Lansing, Michigan:
The image above was taken with a flash, and below without. Either way, it's somewhat difficult to see the tiny beads of colored glass that make up the "coraline" decorative process, but that's pretty much what we're talking about here. Tiny beads of glass that are used as a dimensional surface decoration on glass items.
There's no coincidence that "coraline" has the word "coral" in it. The Mt. Washington Glass Company began using this decorative process with coral-like designs (below) on their glass vessels in the late 1800's. You can really see the glass beads now:
Photo Credit: Corning Museum of Glass
Here's another example, a vase I found for sale on eBay. The coraline decoration adds some flair to it, and probably some value compared to the more common enamel embellishment:
I hope you get a chance to use helpful word when you see tiny bead-like decoration on glass. "I really love the coraline on this Bristol glass vase" you might say, and sound like a pro!
Mitzi
