>Blown glass for lighting, Pressed glass for lighting

Pressed glass is naturally transparent. At this stage its shape and appearance can be adapted to suit the specific lighting system, of which it often becomes the main feature.
 
It can be cut and drilled ready for assembly and there are a number of surface finishing processes that can be used to obtain a translucent and/or coloured finish.

Sandblasting is a mechanical surface abrasion process. The advantage of this technique is that it can be performed on just a portion of the material so as to alternate areas of clear and translucent glass. Acid Etching or Frosting is a chemical surface abrasion process. It is more difficult to process just part of the surface using this method.
 
Colour glazing or metallisation is used to add colour to the glass and give the light the desired nuance. Other processes, such as metallisation and the application of dichroic coatings can be used to obtain impressive visual effects, high-tech functionality and maximum efficiency.
 
The final tempering process strengthens the internal structure of the glass to give it much better thermal shock resistance, higher impact and flexural strength. When broken, tempered glass breaks into small fragments that do not inflict great injury (it is also known as safety glass).