Much of Tiffany Studios' production was devoted to one-of-a-kind objects—hand-blown vases, special-order mosaics and windows, and exquisitely crafted jewelry—consistent with Tiffany's mission to bring beauty into the home. These items were sold at relatively high prices, affordable only for elite clients. The firm also turned out more modest objects, however, such as metalwork desk sets, candelabra, and boxes—called "Fancy Goods" in the firm's 1906 price list—that were made in multiples. Such objects, considered stock items, were on view in the showrooms at the Tiffany & Company and were marketed through illustrated catalogues.

Tiffany began manufacturing small metalwork objects about 1897, when he added a foundry to his glass furnace in Corona. His new products received international exposure in 1899, when, through the influence of Siegfried Bing, a selection was displayed at the Grafton Galleries in London. Later, Tiffany greatly expanded the number and range of designs, and during the first two decades of the twentieth century his workshops turned out more than fifteen different patterns in more than thirty utilitarian forms—from calendar holders and inkstands to scales and thermometers. Desk-set designs were often given evocative names drawn from exotic cultures or historical sources popular for revival styles during the late nineteenth century. Venetian, Byzantine, Chinese, American Indian, Ninth-Century, Adam, and Louis XIV sets were marketed in catalogues alongside those more traditional names, such as Zodiac, Nautical, and Graduate. Other patterns were inspired by nature, and some, particularly those based on grapevines and pine boughs, recall Tiffany's designs for windows and lamps.

Among the earliest desk-set designs were those incorporating Tiffany's signature Favrile glass. In the Grapevine and Pine Bough sets, glass that was typically opalescent blue, green, or amber was laid behind the etched and pierced metalwork design permitting it to show through. Such patterns became, in effect, miniature versions of Tiffany's stained-glass windows.

Most of Tiffany's metalwares were made of cast bronze or hammered or spun copper. Patterns were varied by the introduction of different finishes. Some desk sets were available in "antique" green, a color achieved through a chemical bath, in patinated brown, or plated with gold. These products represent work in yet another medium to which Tiffany applied his artistic talents to enhance the decorative aspect of the home.

Metalwork & wood introduction: 1