Marble

Also known as spirals and threaded marbles, swirls represent the glassblower's art. He makes the swirl by rolling hot glass rods over smaller rods of different colors. The complete rod then receives a coating of clear hot glass. To create the swirls, the glassblower twists and pulls the rod to the desired diameter. The marbles are individually cut from the rod with a special pair of scissors which gather the molten glass and form it into a sphere. Swirls are further designated by the pattern and color of various threads of glass within the marble.