Day August 21, 2026

Blogs, Paperweights

Reading the base: pontils, polish, and stars

A millefiori paperweight seen from above: a pink and white flower at the centre, ringed by rows of small blue and white canes.

The pontil, the polish and the star cut are a record of how a weight was finished, and finishing habits belong to workshops. What to look for when you turn a paperweight over, and what the base still cannot tell you.

Darren
August 21, 2026

Blogs, Paperweights

What makes a paperweight valuable

Several dozen glass paperweights arranged together in rows, showing a wide range of millefiori, floral and abstract designs.

Condition, attribution, rarity and fashion — the four things that decide what a paperweight is worth, and why a price on its own tells you nothing.

Darren
August 21, 2026

Blogs, Paperweights

Understanding millefiori

A close-packed millefiori paperweight seen from directly above, with concentric rings of white, yellow and red florets on a deep red ground.

How a cane is built and drawn, why every slice carries the same design, and what to judge once you have stopped counting flowers.

Darren
August 21, 2026