Topic: paperweight id help

[davidc]

first of all hi everyone..
i picked this weight up recently and am struggling with an id (i be no expert, just like them).
it measures approx 3"dia, 2" height.
looks and feels like lead crystal (has a blue/grey tinge to the metal and is relatively heavy)
has a flat polished base (some scratching so i know it's not brand spanking new).
excuse the pics as i can't load the good ones but it looks a lot better in reality, the leaves etc. have detail that doesn't show.
any help would be greatly appreciated.
dc.

[Sach]

Looks just a bit amateurish to me.  Also the colors look contemporary.  No signature of any sort about the rim of the base?

[davidc]

i know what you mean, the way the stems attach is a bit haphazard...my pics are very poor and it is far nicer in reality, much detail doesn't show such as the tiny white stamens in the flower, veining on the leaves and the thorny stem.
there's no signature or any other marks anywhere to be found.
i have been trying to find the flower too but have so far drawn a blank on that too.
i personally think it's relatively recent in manufacture (within 30 yrs or so).
still, it's pretty and i like it and it was cheaper than a pint so i'm happy..
dc.

[RAY]

have you a side view of the weight

[glasstrufflehunter]

The flat and very well finished base looks like a lot of Murano.

[tzenka]

The colors (especially the green) look a lot like Murano to me

[davidc]

thank you for the replies. here is a side view...there's also a faint line about 12mm from the base running the whole circumference, with the lower part housing the lampwork.
dc

[glasstrufflehunter]

Is that line on the inside?

It's not often you run across a Murano weight with lampwork but the finishing does look Murano.

[alexander]

I have seen berries like that before but the where and when escapes me at present.

If I had to venture a guess I'd lean towards a second from a US maker or a repolished antique French weight.
The flower just doesn't say Murano to me, and the knobly bits on the stem makes me think
the maker was dedicated to details, a dedication I don't see much of in Murano lampwork.
Murano lampwork, IMHO, tends to be coarser and not very carefully laid out.

I have a couple of modern California type weights and they both have completely flat bases,
so a flat base on a lampwork weight does not automatically mean Murano.

My guess on the base is that a problem occured that required someone to remove
a lot of the base. Or a previous owner thought the pontil mark was a manufacturing error and had it
ground and polished off.

It's a very nice weight 

[Kari]

It doesn't look Murano to me either.  The theme with berries is reminiscent of antique American.  Maybe it's a result of a student learning by copying a classic motif.  I think it's sweet, and the colors are very pleasant.

Enjoy, Kari