Topic: Millefiore darning bulb - information required

[glasstrufflehunter]

I found this darning bulb on Ebay a few months ago. I bid on it because it was interesting looking. My guess was that it was Fratelli Toso because of the 'chunky' canes even though they weren't like the canes in my other FT weights. The ground is aventurine but it has a greenish hue like copper does when it oxidizes.

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http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/albums/userpics/10155/normal_FTDarningBulb2.jpg

I was puttering around on http://www.fratellitoso.it/ and found this: http://www.fratellitoso.it/img/1.jpg It was made in 1902. Those yellowy-greeny canes are identical to those in my Ebay find.

So, either I have a paperweight that is about 100 years old, or I have one with 100 year old canes, or FT made those cane for a long time.

I like to think I have a 100 year old paperweight. 

[paperweights]

I agree that this is Italian, but probably from the 1970s.  What is the base.  It looks like a knob of some sort.

[glasstrufflehunter]

Base is flat and polished. It's about 4 and a half inches tall. It's a fancy darning bulb. It would be inserted into a sock so the holes could be darned shut without making the sock bunch up. It has had a bruise polished out at some point. Otherwise it is in excellent condition. You can see the greenish cast to the aventurine in the second photo. Those white canes are a match with that old vase. Could they have been laying around the shop for decades?

Mod:  One image converted to link for ease of page loading.  



http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/albums/userpics/10155/MuranoDarningMushroom2.JPG