Vintage Skull & Crossbones Crystal Dome Paperweight

Pick it up. That's the first thing everyone does. They can't help it. A solid dome of French crystal catches the light from across the room, and something about the weight of it in your hand, the way it magnifies the image beneath, makes you want to hold it a beat longer than you planned.

Underneath all that crystal sits a skull and crossbones pulled from our archive of Victorian trade ephemera, the kind of woodblock printing that marked poison bottles and pirate flags and patent medicines that were probably none of the above. "TRADE MARK" flanks the skull in blocky letterpress type. It's equal parts dangerous and charming, which is exactly why it sells.

Every paperweight starts as a solid dome of optical-grade French crystal. In our New York City studio, we hand-apply the decoupage image to the flat base, back it with soft felt, and seal it by hand. The crystal's dome shape acts as a built-in magnifying lens, pulling the vintage illustration forward with a depth and dimensionality that photographs frankly undersell. In person, it throws light. It demands a second look. It starts a conversation on a desk, a nightstand, or a bar cart that already has too many interesting things on it.

Each piece ships with a folded card explaining the centuries-old decoupage technique. Slight variation in image placement is the fingerprint of the handmade process, not a flaw.

Specs: Size: 3.5" x 3.5" x .675" Material: French crystal dome, felted back Origin: Handmade in New York City Style No. DPWI-4691