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july I998 N/JI NhL SJTTCN BliJr-tETIN 187

lorio's method of including gold foil in glass.
lorio purchased these gold foils or "paillons" in the shapes of animate
or inanimate objects fFigure 2]from the now defunct Swiss manufacturer
Beyeler & Co. S.A. Europeans had used these same "paillons" as
decoration for fancy porcelains.
-7
Yorio developed a fascination for glass paperweight buttons after
seeing the work of Kaziun, lsrael, Winfield Rutter (1883-1962), Francis
Weinman (1865-1958), and Thure Ericson (1913-1963). According to
lorio, it wasn't until 1967 or 1968 that he, too, successfully created his
first very simple p.w.s [Figure 3]. While he did pull some of his own
canes, the majority were purchased, and, for the most part, made in
Murano, ltaly by one of the glassworking Moretti families. Peter Ben
(1BgB-1980) of Millville, New Jersey was also creating single cane p.w.s
with identical Moretti canes, making their respective buttons almost
indistinguishable today.
Among lorio's most successful p.w.s and miniature paperweights
were his diminutive "closepacks" comprised of tightly packed Moretti
millefiori selling for a mere $15. Bundles of colorful canes were drawn
closely together in the paperweight tradition of the great 19th century
French glass factories of Baccarat, Clichy, and St. Louis. Almost all of his
pieces are signed with lorio's black "1" cane appearing somewhere in the
bundle [Fugures 4&5].
In his circa 1980 price list, lorio offered the following "special
miniature paperweight buttons" ranging in price from $25 to $30 and
usually signed wrth an orange, blue or black "1" cane; red cherries/green
leaf on coral ground [Figure 6 left], miniature black snake on orange
ground with aventurine, [Figure 6 right], forget-me-not/five petal pink
flower with yellow stamen on black ground [Figure 7 left], gold ruby
Sandwich rose with green leaf on black with aventurine flecks [Figure 7
rightl white calla lily with green leaves, holly leaf and three red berries, a
cattail with green leaves, crocus with yellow stamen and green leaf,
johnny jump-up/five petal yellow and amethyst flower, and others with
various 24kt. gold inclusions. lorio also made stickpins and tie tacs ($10),
paperweight earrings ($18-$50), and tiny footed paperweights which
duplicated the motifs found in the buttons ($25-$50).
-./or some, the ultimate test of the twentieth century American glass
artist's skills has been the successful creation of the Millville or "South
Jersey" rose. A true American original, this upright, realistic, full-bodied
rose fills the glass sphere containing it and is made by using a metal
crimp pressed into hot glass to form the petals. Ralph Barber (1869-
1936), while working at Whitall Tatum & Co., Millville, New Jersey, is
credited with making the first Millville roses beginning around 1900.
Additional glass notables followed in creating these beautiful, colorful
roses including Emil Larson (1879-1970) and Charles Kaziun, both of