Description
Gentile Glass Millefiori Paperweight. Nice large paperweight in mint condition with no scratches or dings. 3.25" tall x 3" wide.
The original glass worker in the Gentile family was Peter Gentile, born in Naples, Italy in 1884. He worked in Naples(Italy), Rochester (Pennsylvania), and Morgantown (West Virginia) before building his own factory in Star City (West Virginia) in 1947. His sons, Frankie, John and Joe Gentile helped him make paperweights in the off hours at the Guild Factory in Morgantown. However, most paperweight production since WWII has been associated with Peter, John, or John's wife Gertrude Gentile. Few weights were signed prior to1963. It is believed that Gentile Glass remained in production until 2006. Most, if not all, paperweights produced from 1975 on were signed. For more information, you can read about the Gentiles in the book American Glass Paperweights and Their Makers by Jean Melvin (1967 and 1970).
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