I agree that, visually, some of the best Caithness (and other Scottish) weights are on a par with work from the USA. But for a proper comparison, and hence thoughts on pricing we should consider the differences in how they are made.
And it would be useful to know whether any of the Scottish work has been made in the "American" way.
In the US, many makers construct the whole of the weight by "torchwork", using billets of clear and coloured glass at every stage. This does not involve the use a furnace, in the way the general Scottish (etc.) "lampworked" items do.
As a very broad generalisation, "lampworked" pieces use pre-formed flattened elements which are added to a shaped gather, then covered wth more clear and finally the extra clear for the dome is gathered and shaped.
But in the Ameican way, because of the standard use of what I'll call "laying on" of the clear glass required, it has become natural to also build up all the coloured elements (of a full 3D flower, for example) by working every individual element of colour and clear until the design is fully constructed. This is a very labour intensive process and it can take several days to make just one weight if it is a complex form.
The "lampworked" method has its labour intensity at the stage of creating the coloured parts, but because most of this work is, as I suggest, more of a 2D form, a weight can be made more quickly.
Speed of construction = cheaper production. Hence the price differential bewteen much of the American and Scottish (etc.) work.
What I have said above is my own understanding of the processes and is straight out of my fingers and onto the keyboard. I have not even checked out books such as Larry Selman's The Art of The Paperweight for comfirmation. I therefore accept that there may well be points of error or confusion in what I have said. But I think, in general terms, the labour intesity is the main difference we should be thinking about.
It would be very interesting to learn from Bristish lampworkers, such as Allan Scott, about how the better (and often 3D) elements of "lampwork" are actually formed and how much time and effort is required in comparison to the American method.