Origins of our name "Sophietta"
Finding a fitting name for our business was challenging. It needed a name that reflected the Italian tradition of glass, sounded sophisticated and modern, and didn't come across too stuffy.
We tried to translate words into Italian, and then tried to translate Italian words into English. Nothing quite fit. Finally, one evening I was sitting around with my fiancée and she asked me to list some of the tools we use in the glassblowing process. Jacks, tweezers, straight sheers, diamond shears, sophietta…..that was it! Sophietta, a tool we use to inflate vessels when they are in the finishing stages of the blowing process (see image on the left). Glassblowing tools have changed very little in the last thousand years, so using the name of a traditional tool to name our business is perfect. It's also one of the few tools that have carried its Italian name over to America (they renamed just about everything when the American studio movement got underway in the 60's). We hope you enjoy our goblets and our website. I will post a video soon that shows me using a sophietta to inflate the cup of a goblet.