Want to sound like a knowledgeable collector?
Use an unfamiliar term, like "matsu-no-ke" (pronounced "mat-sue-no-kay"). It is the name of a special type of three-dimensional hand-applied glass decoration.
Stevens & Williams, an English glassworks, used the technique in 1884. Semi-molten glass was shaped into branches, then applied to a glass vase.
Because they were still hot, the glass branches became part of the glass of the vase. Daisylike flowers, sometimes in a different color, were added.
Special tools were used to press a pattern into the center of the flowers. The finished trim is clear glass and looks like it could be carved ice.
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The decoration was used in 1922 by Frederick Carder at the Steuben Glass Works. He had developed the decoration years earlier while working in England.
A finished matsu-no-ke vase glistened with applied branches and flowers on a white or colored glass background.
