Baseball crafted in glass and signed by the artist at Steuben.

Steuben Glass has been made by hand in Corning, New York since 1903. Their decorative pieces are made from an outstanding optical formula and their state-of-the-art melting ensures glass that is exceptionally pure and free of even the tiniest visual imperfections.

Skilled artisans work in teams around reheating ovens called glory holes, directed by a master "gaffer." Each gather of molten glass is carried from tank to glory hole, where it is formed "at the fire" with blowpipes, pontil rods, shears, calipers, and other tools little changed over centuries. Finished pieces are slowly cooled in annealing ovens, then cut, polished, and engraved by hand. Each example is minutely inspected before it is signed with a diamond-tipped pen.