Topic: are these Sommerso ash trays.

[Lustrousstone]

There was a time when ash trays that looked like ash trays were taxed and those that were just dishes weren't. They may also of course be just dishes/bowls!

[TxSilver]

Paul, the link to Mandruzzato is http://www.mandruzzato.ve.it/. You can see all the shapes of their current products by clicking the Products link. There are many things, many which are similar. It may be that the first bowl is also theirs, but in a form I am not familiar with.

I've had a couple of Mandruzzato vases. Both of them had little nips along a couple of the facet edges. They were so small that I figured the occured when the facets were ground. It was hard to tell. I know it happens sometimes when paperweight bottoms and vase rims are ground. I mention this because yours has flea bites. If they are slightly large, as you described, they may be from impacts and not the grounding.

[Paul S.]

Christine  -  thanks, I didn't know about the ashtray tax  -  when was this (probably long before my time )  -  sounds a bit like the glass vase tax that you cud avoid if you attached the word Celery.   Think my one wud do for peanuts.
Anita - thanks for the interesting link for Mandruzzato.   Unfortunately, my flea bites are truthfully bigger than flea bites  -  and are almost certainly impact damage.
I have a 12" dry sanding disc on the end of a lathe - and it had occured to me at the time I first acquired this piece that it might be possible to remove a small amount of glass on some of the panels, but suspect its essential that water is involved.   In a former life I had a lapidiary set up with a horizotal plate and various grits (and the running water) which wud have been ideal for this sort of thing  -  now all parted with, but I might have a go again one day.   I notice that on all these pieces (I have) that the sharp edges where the panels join have all been bevelled - obviously to help prevent this potential problem of flaking.   Paul S.