Hi I'm new here as well as in Venetian paperweight collecting.
I have been to Venice about 7 times and usually was not tempted by those paperweights but my taste has maybe changed and one day I find this 3 Firori paperweight at a shop in Murano and bought it. I think I liked it because I found it sort or oriental looking, Japanese kimono motif, etc. That was last February.
In May when I travelled there again, having learned that 3 fiori ceased its production, I was skeptical to find its variant models and indeed I found very few in Murano (still found one I liked just before leaving the island for maybe 30 % higher price than the 1st one.) Then surprise, a shop near a Rialto had plenty of them and another shop nearby the train station, at approximately the original price I paid. I bought then many more pieces than I thought I would. I was on a solo low budget travel and these weights costed me much more than the trip (train-hotel). I kept saying to myself I could keep some of them to myself and make a gift of others for my friends at important occasions (e.g.my best friends will be celebrating their 10-year anniversary next year.).
Here are half of what I bought.
http://tinypic.com/ehyjq0.jpgExcept for 2 square Ragazzi ones, all are 3Fiori.
The following "flower basket" modes are what I like especially. The first one ever I bought was of this type.
http://tinypic.com/ehyr21.jpgQuestion:
You see mille fiori and golden lines. The golden lines look like of copper but the Venetian shop owner at Rilalto told me this is of some sort of grounded stone. He gave the name of the stone but I lost the note. Does anyone have any idea? The name could start with A or E but I'm not sure. Otherwise, I will go ask him next December when I will be there.
They are about 10 cm by diameteres.