A large shawl worn by women, originally in Spain, covering only the head and shoulders.

An outer garment gathered at the neck, without sleeves, often with a hood. Its design has changed very little since the Middle Ages.

A small-scale model produced in preparation for making a finished sculpture, in order to visualize the object before money is spent to produce a full-sized work or art.

The art of using pieces of differently shaded wood veneer to create decorative representations, such as flowers and faces, on the surface of furniture. (See also: Parquetry)

In the antiques and collectibles business, the term refers to what an object is made out of, such as wood, clay or tin.

A matrix is an object upon which a design has been formed and that is then used to make an impression on a piece of paper, thus creating a print. A wood block, metal plate, or lithographic stone can each be used as a matrix.

Objects that have a specific use at the time they are made, such as a baseball or a trophy, but which tend to gain value over time as a result of their associations and history, rather than for their original utility.

An Italian word meaning "a thousand flowers" that refers to a Venetian glass-making technique. It consists of fusing multi-colored glass canes together, cutting them crosswise, and embedding them in clear molten glass to create a floral-like design.

Usually a book under 3 inches in any dimension. There are a few exceptions for books that are more than a few hundred years old. The earliest miniatures were devotional books that could be easily carried. They are now printed mainly as novelty items.

Glassware that is made by inflating molten glass into a mold. The glass is forced against the inner surfaces of the mold and assumes its shape, together with any decoration that has been designed into the mold.

A design, often elaborate, using letters typically representing the initials of a name, which is added to silver or other valuable objects to identify the owner.

In woodworking, a joint that consists of a square hole on one piece of wood filled by a square peg from another, creating a strong natural joint.

Preparing a painting or other image for display by affixing the image to a backdrop, such as a matte board, or by placing it within a wooden frame, as is done with oil paintings.

Heeled, backless bedroom slipper that has been popular since the 1940s.