For the buffet table

Ultimate buffet bowl

This enormous Murano glass bowl -- nearly 8 inches high and 14 inches in diameter -- would hold salad for 30, say, or make a gorgeous punch bowl for a backyard wedding reception (float edible flowers on the surface). Each handblown bowl is unique, with different colors highlighted in its layers of citrine and turquoise glass rounded off with an iridescent finish. The combination of opaque and translucent glass makes the piece intriguing on its own, but it’s food safe, so why not enjoy its grandeur in the upcoming season of holiday, graduation and start-of-summer entertaining?

Captiva Deep Bowl, $70 at Crate & Barrel stores.

-- Aubrey Jerue