Topic: Blue smokey swirls with bubbles

[Fiver]

This one is 2 7/8" inches at its widest point, 4 1/2" tall with a 1 1/4" base.  No markings on the base.

[Fiver]

Here's a base shot of this weight.

[Lustrousstone]

It's probably modern Chinese. Those matte bottoms often (but not always) indicate Chinese

[scavo]

What are the little pin-pricks on the base? I've seen those before and have left on the shelf assuming that if it were good quality they would have been ground away.

[Lustrousstone]

They are probably remnants of the pontil scar, but those in themselves are not an indicator of poor quality. You can find them on highly polished bases; you can only remove so much of the base without ruining the item.

[scavo]

Thanks Christine,
I've seen very similar before. There are 3 in this pic and the pattern suggests 4 (tool) marks originally.
Good to know that I have to rely on other knowledge before dismissing other items in the future!

[Lustrousstone]

They are not tool marks. Paperweights are made on the end of a glass rod and when the item is cracked off what remains is the pontil scar/mark. It may be a lump; it may be a hole.

[Sach]

What are the little pin-pricks on the base? I've seen those before and have left on the shelf assuming that if it were good quality they would have been ground away.

From what I can see those "pin-pricks" are just air bubbles within the glass that were opened when the bottom was ground away.  A little more grinding might well remove them, and is likely to cut open more bubbles in the next layer of the glass.

[Lustrousstone]

Or that 

[KevinH]

Or maybe even bits of grit (or similar) in the annealing oven that have caused indentations which were deep enough to partly remain after grinding. Possbly?