Inspired by Cubist paintings he saw while visiting the 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, Reuben Haley designed the distinctive Ruba Rombic glassware, transforming the two-dimensional principles of Cubist painting into three-dimensional objects. According to a 1928 advertisement for the line, its name derives from ruba'i, a Persian poetry form, and the geometry term rhombic, meaning an irregular form with no right angles. The name implies that these glass objects are a combination of refined art and scientific knowledge, an appropriate combination for expressionistic objects manufactured through industrial means. Ruba Rombic was factory-produced and available at department stores across America at a relatively affordable price for middle-class consumers interested in modernist design.

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