Hand-Blown Glass Paperweight — John Pomp Studio

The Object

John Pomp — whose plaster vessel is also in this collection — is better known for glass. He's been blowing it for over 25 years, first in Venice learning from the Murano masters, then in Brooklyn, now in Philadelphia. His work is in restaurants, hotels, private residences, and the permanent collection of the Corning Museum of Glass.

This paperweight is solid glass — not hollow, not fragile. It has weight. It has presence. The bubbles inside are trapped intentionally during the blowing process; they scatter light in unpredictable ways depending on the time of day and the angle of the sun. Set it on a stack of papers and it holds them. Set it on a windowsill and it throws small rainbows. Set it on a bookshelf next to objects you've collected over a lifetime and it belongs there immediately.

Each one is unique — the bubble pattern, the exact shape, the way the glass settled as it cooled. Your paperweight will not match any other. That's not a flaw statement. That's the definition of hand-blown glass.

Details

Diameter ranges from 3.5 to 4.5 inches. Weight varies but is always substantial — you'll know you're holding something. Comes in a simple unbleached cotton bag inside a De Sousa Hughes box. The box is grey. The tissue is white. The object is the star.