Glass Paperweights by Nancy J. Farrier

I love glass paperweights. They range from beautiful art creations to functional desk accessories to a marketing tool for businesses. As I research them, I became fascinated with the process. 

 

Nautilus Paperweight, Domed Style

 

The first known glass making happened in Mesopotamia or Egypt over 3,000 years ago. People made glass beads and used them for trade and decorative purposes. 

 

Glass paperweights were first made in France in the mid-1840s. Some of the glass factories competed to make luxury glass items such as cups, dishes, ink wells, and other desk accessories. They were from creating functional objects to making ones of great beauty to entice the public. Having a decorative glass paperweight on your desk spoke about your affluence.

 

In 1851, at London’s Crystal Palace, paperweights made their debut as an object of art and gained popularity. They became all the rage. For the first time, people who lived through dreary winters had the pleasure of a glass paperweight with brightly colored flowers inside. There were other natural objects that pleased people but those flowers were special.

 

The process for making these paperweights is a marvel in itself. Everything in the glass paperweights was made of glass. No matter how natural those flowers looked, they were still glass. 

 

Millefiori paperweight
Public Domain

One of the techniques used was millefiori, also called “thousand flowers.” These were canes made by layering molten glass into cylindrical shapes, then elongating the cylinder and slicing pieces off. The colors would then be seen in the paperweight. The millefiori paperweights were known to have one thousand of the tiny glass cylinders in them, creating a very colorful pattern.

 

Bigaglia paperweight

Pietro Bigaglia is credited with creating the millefiori paperweight. He used the bestmurrinas (the tiny millefiori pieces) made by Giovanni Franchin and his son, Giacomo. It took time but his new process caught on as word about the beautiful new paperweights spread.

 

Glass paperweights were all the rage for about twenty-five years, but in the 1860s they lost popularity. In the 1930s, paperweights gained popularity in two ways. First, in a commercial way as simple to make repetitive designs were produced. These were less expensive paperweights that were just functional. 

 

Muranno glass paperweight  

The other paperweights to gain in sales were the designer ones, produced by a certain artist. Well-known artists in Murrano glass, experimented with new techniques, making only a few of each design to drive up the price and desirability. 

 

Since then, paperweights have become more than just a means to keep papers on a desk. They are also a form of beautiful art that one can display around the home or office. They also make wonderful gifts.

 

Crystal Glass by Paolo Neo
Wikimedia Commons

While researching this topic, I came across the name of one of the original glass works who developed the glass paperweight, the Saint-Louis Glass Factory in France. Saint-Louis has been in the glass business since 1586. They were the first to develop crystal glass, using lead in the glass to bring greater clarity and beauty. I found this video of the Saint-Louis factory where they explain their processes. It is fascinating and lasts about twelve minutes. One segment shows how they make glass paperweights with the millefiori in them. I hope you enjoy the video. You can see it HERE. 

If you are interested in the process, you can also watch this video about making glass paperweights with flowers in them. I'm amazed at the intricate work. See the video HERE.

Are you a collector of glass paperweights? I love them and have often thought about collecting them. I enjoyed learning about their history and watching the videos where artists are demonstrating the process. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.