Antique Paperweights

_Since Deeming Jarves was closely connected with the factories both at Cambridge and Sandwich, it is not sur­prising that the paperweights coming from both places should bear a marked resemblance. The constant inter­change of workmen between the two factories is no doubt a further factor accounting for the similarity.

_The migrations of workmen between different fac­tories, even between factories in different countries, may account for similarities that can hardly be explained in any other way. At the same time it must be remembered that men, while they carry their abilities from one fac­tory to another, could not take with them them the silica and other material which they had used.  The quality of the glass in a paperweight is therefore a cardinal point in determining the country from which came. The French glass for example is characteristically clear and sharp; English glass has a heavy, cloudy quality; the American product has more of the melted sugar appearance, with many swirl efects that are apparent if the casing is examined an angle. These swirl effects are especially pronounced in Sandwich weights. Visible swirls, by the way, are not particularly significant. Those which are invisible to the eye and can be seen only throough the polariscope are an entirely different mattcr. These indicate the tiny cracks which are caused by improper annealing, and they are serious because they often lead to cracking that occurs without apparent reason.