The more you know about glass, the more this vessel will surprise you. Though it sits on the table on a bottom as round as a daruma doll, it holds itself perfectly level.

That is because making glass this thick by glassblowing, and with enough precision to settle level, is all but impossible.

The secret lies in how it is made. This vessel is carved from a large block of glass.

Japan has manufacturers who make high-quality quartz glass for industrial products such as semiconductors and optical fiber. A craftsman carved a clear block of that quartz glass into this form.

Even so, carving does not make it any easier to keep it level. If the center of gravity is off even slightly, the vessel comes to rest at a tilt. You can sense the height of the craftsman’s skill.

Each time you set it on the table, each time your fingertips touch it, the vessel sways a little, and before long comes quietly to rest. In the midst of a hurried day, the time spent watching it sway alone flows slowly.