Thanks to everyone who responded.

From: "David S"
Date: Thursday, January 18, 2001 6:39 AM

I do so enjoy these when they're easy! piece of cake!!!! no that's not my
guess, It's actually one of those art deco pieces of glass. Probably a small
glass paperweight ball containing extrusions with a florette pattern.

(This answer is correct, however full credit goes to Earle (further down) for using the full Italian name for this style of paperweight - mgr)

Later,

From: Slrmb
Date: Saturday, January 20, 2001 12:59 PM

birthday cake

From: "David W
Date: Sunday, January 21, 2001 7:07 PM

it looks pretty ceramic... it looks kinda like a tea pot...
its definately rounded....
it looks too textured to be ceramic though....
i can say it definately doesn't look alive. (:
it looks like it could be a dolls dress, but then it also looks like its made of the wrong thing.
there're bubbles in the picture, they have to give some kind of clue? i just hope i've seen this thing before, whatever it is.
it looks like something which has been cut at the top and bottom, and the red bits are a cross section, maybe a fruit? a blue fruit? i dont think so.... whatever it is, my extremely vague guess (if you can call it that) is as above. (:

- A. Failure.

From: "Tia K
Date: Saturday, January 27, 2001 12:59 AM

I have looked at this endlessly and I am sorry to say that I can only
make the lame guess of - a marble. I see what appears to be bubbles and
after pondering the aquatic world it is the only guess I can come up
with. Worthy of sending it to you?- Questionable, but why not.

From: Becky
Date: Monday, January 29, 2001 1:51 PM

Is it the flower of a poinsettia???

Becky

From: "Brian Homan" <bhoman-AtSign-ameritech.net>
To: <mgr-AtSign-zocalo.net>
Subject: Weird Blue and Red Thing!
Date: Sunday, August 26, 2001 6:57 PM

Its a paperweight.

From: "Alexis Layton" <alexis-layton-AtSign-home.com>
To: <mgr-AtSign-zocalo.net>
Subject: Weird Blue and Red Thing!
Date: Saturday, October 20, 2001 9:34 PM

It's a millifiorri glass papeweight.

From: "michael ledbetter" <mledbetter-AtSign-mac.com>
To: <mgr-AtSign-zocalo.net>
Subject: Weird Blue and Red Thing!
Date: Thursday, December 27, 2001 5:32 PM

i shot a similar close-up photo of a glass paperweight that had colored
something-or-other in it. the drop is horizontally round and vertically oval
with a flat bottom. when viewed from the top it gives the illusion of the
pattern wrapping around the curvature of the glass, however, when viewed
from the flat bottom, the pattern is actually a tube of sorts running
vertically straight. mine is a green & red type. as to what it is, or how it
is made, i have no idea. thanks for the challenging perspectives. of course,
i could be wrong.

But you are so right!  Thanks for your guess. - mgr

From: "Paul Hives" <paul_hives-AtSign-hotmail.com>
To: <mgr-AtSign-zocalo.net>
Subject: Weird Blue and Red Thing!
Date: Tuesday, May 28, 2002 7:46 PM

Glass paperweight