Unusual purple and gold vase

Found this lovely thing today. It's around 50cm tall, purple glass with a kind of textured gold lacquer effect incorporated into the base - it looks like it was dipped into the gold stuff before being blown. I'm sure someone will know exactly what the technique is, but I've never seen it before. Any ideas? There's no mark on the base.

It's aventurine - made of crystalised copper rather than gold.

No idea who made your vase, though, sorry.

That's interesting, thanks!

I have seen two vases with long attenuated necks like that recently. Both had similar wobbly necks, one had a made in China label.

Is the base ground and polished flat?

John

It's concave, matt finish.

the way the avventurine is applied to the base and pulled up is reminiscent of other glass Distributed by a company called Dale Tiffany in the States. It think similar pieces might have been distributed via The Pier shops here. I also think the items orginate in China. But I've not seen one in the shape of your vase before.
m

You know, when I was looking around after Nic told me about aventurine, I can across Dale Tiffany and thought it looked similar. You're right, though - can't find any images of a vase like it.

With an unpolished ground out pontil mark Chinese is quite likely. By chance I saw a large blue bowl with similar blobs of aventurine yesterday with a made in China label.

Cheaply produced glass with poor workmanship has been exported from China by the container ship load in recent years, many items are large and/or heavy with bright colours. There is nothing wrong with it, much of it is very decorative and the quality is getting better year on year. Every antique center or shop has a few pieces, every single piece is sold as 'Murano' which it so obviously is not.

John

That's interesting to know. It's certainly a nice thing, and even I know it isn't Murano! You're right, though - the quality isn't great.

A note on Chinese glass - quite worryingly, some of the factories are upping their game. I popped into TK Maxx today, and there were several designs that were well-executed, well-finished and had nicely polished bases and polished pontil marks.

I daresay it won't be long before they turn up on eBay sans 'Made In China' labels - keeping an eye out for what to avoid is pretty much the only reason I go into TK Maxx. That, and they somehow, occasionally, stock quality brands like WMF and Villeroy & Boch for next to nothing.