My girlfriend stayed over for the weekend, and after she left, I noticed a strange amber-colored glass stick lying among the blankets. It was smooth, narrow, and had rounded ends, almost like something from an old-fashioned beauty kit. I had absolutely no idea what it was, and for some reason I felt too embarrassed to text her and ask.

My imagination immediately started making things more complicated than they needed to be. Was it some kind of cosmetic applicator? A massage tool? Something medical? The unusual shape certainly didn’t help. Eventually, curiosity won, and I started looking for similar vintage glass objects.

The answer was surprisingly ordinary: it was a glass drink stirrer, also called a swizzle or stir stick. Vintage examples were made from glass and often featured small rounded or ball-shaped ends. Similar mid-century glass stir sticks were designed for stirring cocktails and other drinks served in tall glasses.