But if the transparency is decreased so that the beaker is more translucent than transparent, the same strong specular settings are much more noticeable and much more important. For example, here is the beaker in a translucent blue glass. The specularity is now a more significant element of the effect. It is for difficult to see through the beaker and thus the contribution of the refraction of the horizon line is reduced. This change of color also help us to understand more precisely what transparency means as a material or surfacing parameter.
Transparency is a dissolve of the diffuse color alone.
Even with a maximum transparency setting, the surface, though displaying no color of its own, will reflect specular highlights. If we can generate specular reflections off a transparent surface, we can certainly generate true reflections. Here is the beaker set to a low level of ray-traced reflection. Note what reflectivity adds at this low level of intensity. The effect is mostly to pick up general light patterns from the environment, although the basic shapes of the fruits are somewhat discernible in the reflection surface.