The opalescent effect is a glassmaking technique used by many manufacturers to greater or lesser degrees of artistry, produced in the cooling process which creates the milky opalescent effect which illuminates any coloration when light shines on it. Sometimes the opalescent effect was created along the edge of a piece, often coupled with wavy effects and making for an elegant yet subtle look. This opalescence is also created in the glassmaking by alternating heating and cooling of the glass and with the addition of chemical additives to create the desired effect. Many U.S. manufacturers made this type of opalescent glass, most notably Fenton, Northwood, Hobbs, and American Glass, while Davidson's was the major European manufacturer based in the U.K. and giving their wares the marketing name of Pearline. There is also a type of opalescent glass which is made in layers, and again the heating and re-heating process is used to create the opalescent effect with the addition of chemical agents. The degree and location of the opalescence is controlled as such by the glassmaking process, and by the thickness of the glass itself as it forms itself in the molds. 

Given the intricacy of some of the designs, the production of the metal molds in sufficient detail was an important part of the process. Many of the molds for French opalescent glass of the Art Deco period were done by Franckhauser, who did work for Sabino and other contemporaries of Lalique. Most of the finer glass of this period was done by the French, but the English firm of James J. Jobling also created some innovative designs after having earlier sought to sign distribution deals with some of the major French factories. Today, few glassmakers still make opalescent glass primarily due to the toxicity of the chemicals needed to execute the complex glassmaking process.

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