#0069 An iridescent studio art glass paperweight with blue trailing threads Attributed To Gary Levay.

Studio glass artists in America created decorative paperweights like this using traditional glassblowing methods in small independent hot shops. Craftsmen shaped molten glass on a metal pipe, rolled it through colored powdered glass or metallic oxides, and trailed fine threads of glass across the surface before blowing and rounding the sphere. The iridescent metallic sheen was achieved by exposing the hot glass to metallic vapors inside a specialized furnace chamber.

People placed these heavy glass spheres on desks and tables to hold down loose papers in homes and offices. Over time, their primary use shifted from practical desk accessories to decorative art objects collected for their unique optical effects and colors. Production of studio art glass paperweights expanded greatly during the late twentieth century as studio crafts gained popularity.