Verres

Verres is the plural form of verre in French, meaning glass or glassware. In English-language contexts the word verres is rarely used except as a loanword or proper name, but in French it refers to the material glass as well as objects made from it, such as drinking vessels, bottles, jars, and decorative items. Glass is an inorganic, non-crystalline solid that becomes malleable when heated and returns to a rigid state upon cooling.

Typical soda-lime glass consists mainly of silica (SiO2) with sodium oxide (Na2O) from soda ash and calcium oxide (CaO) as a stabilizer, plus small amounts of other oxides and colorants. Transparent, chemically resistant, and relatively brittle. Melting point around 1400-1600°C; formed into shapes by blowing, pressing, or molding. It is widely recyclable.

Manufacture involves batch melting in furnaces, then forming by glassblowing, pressing, drawing, or the float process. The float glass process, developed in the 1950s by Sir Alastair Pilkington, produces flat, uniform panes for windows and façades. Other major categories include container glass for bottles and jars, borosilicate glass with high thermal resistance, and lead glass or crystal that adds weight and brilliance.

Historically, glass was first produced in the Near East and the Roman world by the 2nd millennium BCE. Improvements in furnace technology, glassblowing, and refining processes expanded the range of objects. In modern times, glass underpins packaging, building, optics, and laboratory equipment. Recycling and energy efficiency are important considerations in production and waste streams.