#0059 1930s Webb Corbett facet-cut vaseline crystal starburst paperweight.

From Stourbridge UK

Skilled glassmakers in Stourbridge, England, produced decorative glass items such as this during the early twentieth century. These pieces were crafted to serve as functional desk accessories that added elegance to private offices and libraries. Artisans made them by blowing molten lead crystal and then cutting complex geometric patterns by hand using rotating abrasive wheels.

Wealthy professionals and clerks used these heavy glass objects on their desks to hold down loose paperwork in draughty rooms. They were kept next to inkwells and blotters until modern adhesives and electronic documents gradually replaced traditional paper correspondence. Today, these vintage items are no longer used for office work but remain popular among decorative glass collectors.