Engraving and Cutting Glass

by Bettye Waher
Glass Review - December 1981

That ancient artist and craftsman, the lapidary, cut and polished precious stones, at first with hand tools and later with the aid of wheels. When his skill was transferred to glass, two methods evolved that are now known as engraving and cutting. Both techniques use wheels and both incise the surface of the glass, but there are several differences. One is in the style of design that results; the realistic motifs (floral and figural) are produced by engraving, cutting designs are usually geometric.

There are four basic cuts used in cutting glass, one of which is the miter. It is comparable to the straight line in geometry; and it can belong, short, deep, or shallow. It is made with a wheel that has a V-shaped edge.

The curved miter is made by deflecting the glass out-of-line with the wheel. It was developed by John S. O'connor of Dorflinger and Sons in 1886.

Faceting is done with a flat-edge wheel and is used where two plane surfaces meet. Around mirrors it is called beveling. Faceting is done on glass for the same reason it is on diamonds, to present many "faces" to catch and reflect the light; thereby giving more sparkle and brilliance. It is often used on stoppers and stems.

For concavities such as roundlets and ovals, called printies, a wheel with a slightly convex edge is required.

By using these four cuts, about twenty motifs have been devised as shown in the large illustration below. By combining motifs, hundreds of designs have been created (examples shown below) many of which have been patented. When the same design appears on each piece of table service, it is then known as a pattern.


  1. crosshatching - small diamonds, used to fill in other motifs.
  2. strawberry diamond - groups of four diamonds filled in with crosshatching.
  3. block - squares with raised flat-tops.
  4. hobnail-flat-topped hexagons that resemble the hobnail of a boot.
  5. beading - two or more long vertical miters with notches between resembling a string of beads.
  6. cane - alternating blocks of octagons and crossed miters, resembles cane seats of chairs.
  7. prism - two close parallel miters with a ridge between, an inverted V.
  8. notched prism - notches at regular intervals on the ridge.
  9. vesica - intersecting curved miters that form an elongated oval.
  10. faceting - flattening the edge where two planes meet.
  11. star - many styles: single star rays emanating from a single point; shooting star, fans between rays; pyramidal star, each ray a prism; flat star, lines crisscrossed at 45 degree angles to form eight points.
  12. hobstar (rosette) - the number of points can vary from 8 to 32. centers may have a star, another hobstar or be plain.
  13. buzz (pinwheel) - alternating curved miters and fans around a hobstar.
  14. fan - miters radiating from a point, resembles an open fan.
  15. pillar - vertical panel, longer than a flute.
  16. flute - vertical panel having either a flat or convex surface.
  17. roundlets (printies) and ovals - concave
  18. depressions.
  19. Greek Key - several styles, this style is seen in the pattern "Flutes and Greek Border" by T. G. Hawkes & Co.
  20. Greek Key - another style that is seen on "Alhambra" by Meriden Cut Glass Co.
Cut Glass Motifs

Examples of Cutting Motifs combined to form a design
Example 2 Example 3 Example 4