Pieces of glass formed into consistent shapes are known as Glass Tiles.  Glass has been recorded as being used in mosaics as early as 2500BC.  Glass tiles, however, were not created until the 3rd CenturyBC by innovative artisans and crafters in places such as Persia, Greece and India.

In contrast, clay tiles have been dated back to 8000BC.  Serious barriers to the innovation of glass tiles included the inability to create the extreme temperatures needed to melt glass, along with the difficulty of creating the various annealing curves necessary for glass.

More recently, glass tiles have gained popularity and have been used more commonly as accent tiles.  This trend is mostly in thanks to advancements in technology, but also due to the tiles natural tendencies to impart vivid color and also reflect light.  Another important quality of glass tiles is that they are naturally waterproof.

The installation of glass tile is more complex than traditional ceramic or porcelain tile.  This is due to the rigidness of glass which causes more breaks when pressure is applied and during substrate shifts.

Smalti is a type of glass tile that was developed during the reign of the Byzantine Empire.  Smalti is typically opaque and is made through the mixture of molten glass with metal oxides to provide color.  The resulting hazy mixture is then poured into flat slabs and then cooled and later broken into smaller, individual pieces.

Smalti tiles are still very common throughout Europe and can be found in churches and many ornate objects.  Also, there are still many modern-day craftsmen that use Smalti tiles in their works.  In 1920, mass production techniques were perfected, allowing for application in numerous middle class dwellings.  The improved method called for the molten glass to be poured and subsequently cooled in pre-sized trays eliminating the need for manual breaking into individual pieces.

The 1990s saw a resurgence of interest in glass tile for use on floors and walls.  This can be attributed to advancements again in modern glass tile technology, which included methods used to recycle glass into "green" tiles.  Today, glass tiles are most commonly used for kitchens and bathrooms.  Although smalti tiles are still commonly used, they have given way to format glass products of varying sizes.  These are more easily formed with the use of cast and fused glass techniques.  This has allowed for a wide variety of uses and practical applications.

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