Parian – a porcelain with a marble-like surface texture, mostly composed of kaolin and feldspar and usually used unglazed in ornamental articles.

Patina - desirable darkening or darkened sheen on silver which develops over time. Replacements can apply a patina finish to some silver pieces. Click here to learn about our silver restoration department and the services that they offer.

Pattern - name or designation assigned by manufacturer to identify dinnerware design theme that includes decals, handpainting, stems, shapes, facets, cuttings, etc.

Pattern Glass - pressed glassware originally produced in America between 1890 and 1940. Click here to read a history of Early American Pattern Glass.

Pattern Number - a number assigned by dinnerware manufacturers to identify a particular pattern; it's especially useful when two or more patterns by same maker have similar names.

Pewter - an alloy of low melting point metals including tin, copper, lead, bismuth, and antimony; the less the proportion of tin, the finer the pewter.

Piece Codes - a code that Replacements designates; consists of one or more characters (usually letters) representing a specific piece type within a pattern. Example: DP = dinner plate.

Pierced (Reticulated) - having holes or cut-outs in a piece for either decorative purposes or to strain juices from food.

Pipkin - a metal, earthenware, or ceramic pot, usually small in size (bowl is about 2.5" in height and 2.5" in diameter), has a long, horizontal handle, and is generally used for sauces.

Plain - a term that Replacements, Ltd. uses for items without gold trim, platinum trim, or other prominent design.

Platter - a large oval plate used as a serving piece for food items (round platter is referred to as a Chop Plate).

Polished Cutting - design cut into crystal by an abrasive wheel. A buffing wheel or acid is used to remove the gray effect that was left by the abrasives.

Pontil Mark - rough mark on the base of a crystal piece that is left when the pontil (iron rod used to handle handmade glass) is removed. A 'signature' of handmade, mouth-blown glass.

Porcelain – hard, translucent clayware usually consisting of 50% kaolin, 25% quartz, and 25% feldspar. Kaolin provides plasticity, durability, consistency, and adds whiteness. Quartz provides stability, and feldspar allows for vitrification of piece (formation of hard, glassy, surface).

Potash Glass - glass containing potassium carbonate.

Pressed Glass - formed in a mold and pressed by hand or machine. Both shape and design may be accomplished simultaneously with this method.

Quarter-Pound Butter Dish with lid - holds one 1/4 pound rectangular stick of butter.

Queensware - earthenware of ivory or cream color originally developed by Josiah Wedgwood. Many potters who made similar type of stoneware adopted the name. Click here to read a history of the Wedgwood China Co. or the development of Queensware.

Quimper Ware - colorful French pottery depicting peasant characters from the French village of Quimper. Click here to view a list of pattern produced by Quimper.

Raised (Embossed) - design raised from surface in three-dimensional relief.

Ramekin - bowl similar in shape to a soufflé dish, but smaller with straight sides. Commonly used for sauce or salad dressing.

Rectangle - a parallelogram with all angles being right angles. It appears long and narrow, oblong.

Repair - restoring a dinnerware piece to as close to its original state as possible. Replacements has a dedicated restoration department staffed by highly skilled craftsmen.

Repousse - ornamentation hammered into piece from under the inner side of the metal, with added sharpness of form provided by surface chasing of all detail and outline. Samuel Kirk introduced the "repousse" decorative style to this country in 1829. Repousse is also a extensive line of hollowware and silverware pieces. To learn more about the pattern or the hollowware, click here.

Restore - refurbishing items to their original condition or better. Replacements offers an extensive array of restoration services. Click here to learn more about our restoration services.

Restoration - The process behind refurbishment. Replacements offers restoration services to the public for crystal and silver. Click here to learn more about our restoration services.

Reticulated (Pierced) - has holes either for decorative purposes or to drain juices from food.

Ribbed - continuous channel or ridged look, typically around the rim of pieces.

Rice Bowl - a bowl that has more height, but is smaller in diameter than a cereal bowl.

Rim – the flat, lipped edge of a piece that has a definite break from border to center.

Rimmed Soup Bowl - 7" to 9" in diameter, a soup bowl with an edge consisting of a flat rim and wide enough on which to sit a cracker. For formal dinners no other soup bowl is acceptable.

Roly-poly - The term roly-poly is used to describe things that are short, stout, and round. The crystal roly-poly is a small to medium sized glass that is used to serve spirits and mixers. These glasses are the perfect size to serve a wide variety of drinks. Roly-polies can also be used as decorative accents. Simply place a tealite candle in your favorite roly-poly.

Rosette Cuts - the combination of three or more cuts that converge to create a fan-like design.

Round - circular or sphere-like in appearance.