Topic: Basketball sized vase Made In Italy - Any idea who made it?

[kitchensink]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help me with this Italian vase.

This is marked Made in Italy on the bottom, the pontil is rough.  The vase is about the size of a basketball with a flat rim, which has a few scuffs on it.  The vase is encased in clear glass and the body of the vase has flecks of silver and gold which give the impression of depth.  It's like looking into a starry night.  When you look inside, you can see it's deep amethyst in color with a ribbed gourd shape, although it is smooth on the outside.  You can see the ripples from the inside on the outside by the depth they give, but it's very subtle.   It is about 9" by 9"

Thanks for any help. 
Cathy