Modern Torch made? Oxblood cloud

[SequoiaBET]

It's 1.25 inches with no UV and no signature. On another forum someone suggested maybe Hungarian made?

[Fire1981]

Definitely Oxblood. It’s not torch made. The bubbles come from the glass being rolled over of bed of needles. They poke the molten glass forming a bubble that almost immediately gets trapped while it keeps getting rolled across the bed of needles. It’s a cool technique. There are/where artists here that do this. I have no clue what connection it would have with being a Hungarian marble. It very well could be. Killer Keeper for sure🔥

RAR

[SequoiaBET]

Thanks for the info about the bubbles. That is a cool technique! If it's not torch made, how is it made and how would one describe it? Is it cane made like antique German kinds? 

Thanks for any additional info- I do really like this marble- it stands out in a crowd!

[Fire1981]

I could be wrong but the half twist,solid white base glass and needle technique is what I’m going off of. I hope you get a few more options on this one 🔥

RAR

[akroorka]

18 hours ago, SequoiaBET said:

On another forum someone suggested maybe Hungarian made?

Hungarian is an easy out here. 
I suggest that someone with a torch did their very best here to make a nice looking marble.
The little black spots surrounding the pole at the top image speak torch made to me at least.
This one just lacks the finesse that collectors most look for.
I appreciate all opinions and hope to see some more.
Marble—On!!
 

[Shamrock Marbles]

On 11/14/2025 at 5:44 PM, akroorka said:

Hungarian is an easy out here. 
I suggest that someone with a torch did their very best here to make a nice looking marble.
The little black spots surrounding the pole at the top image speak torch made to me at least.
This one just lacks the finesse that collectors most look for.
I appreciate all opinions and hope to see some more.
Marble—On!!
 

Hungarian or Bulgarian or somewhere else? Don’t know. Lovely marble regardless of origin.

Not picking sides here, but I believe the marble was single gathered and finished off with jacks prior to separation from the punty. Not a torch marble, but a torch was used.

The black spots around the pontil mark are from burned dirt/beeswax from the jacks. The gray tone is from the rich gas/oxygen ratio from a finish torch to melt the pontil smooth.

At the end of this video, you can see the marble separated and the pontil torch finished…

Mark Matthews at Corning

As always, YMMV.

[Fire1981]

You rock 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

RAR

[Chad G.]

On 11/13/2025 at 10:18 PM, Fire1981 said:

Definitely Oxblood. It’s not torch made. The bubbles come from the glass being rolled over of bed of needles. They poke the molten glass forming a bubble that almost immediately gets trapped while it keeps getting rolled across the bed of needles. It’s a cool technique. There are/where artists here that do this. I have no clue what connection it would have with being a Hungarian marble. It very well could be. Killer Keeper for sure🔥

RAR

Never heard of the " Rolled over a bed of needles" thing to make air bubbles. Be interested to see it.

[SequoiaBET]

Thanks so much for the info and video link, Shamrock. Very Cool! That helps me to understand the difference between torch made and other techniques. The final marble is gorgeous. Such fine detail in the lattice work!

We are lucky here in Oakland as there is a place called The Crucible that teaches all kinds of industrial arts and also serves as a work space for artists. One of the things they offer is glass work- both torch work and glass blowing. I took a 2 weekend class on torch work a few years back. It was a blast! We made an elephant, an octopus and of course- marbles, among other things. Glass is such an amazing medium to work with. And it's not easy! The amount of work folks put into making hand made marble and other items is awesome. I have much respect for their craft and art. If I had been introduced to it in high school, I totally would have pursued it as a career. 

Thanks again Shamrock and all who provided info. I learn so much here!

[SequoiaBET]

Oh- and the original suggestion from someone else was Bulgarian- not Hungarian. I made a mistake there in my OP. So interesting you mentioned Bulgarian again. They must have (or had) an active marble making community. I should look into learning more...

[Shamrock Marbles]

5 hours ago, Chad G. said:

Never heard of the " Rolled over a bed of needles" thing to make air bubbles. Be interested to see it.

To make controlled bubbles in a glass object, you can take a tungsten rake (or any sharp object) and plunge it into the surface. This makes an indentation. To create the bubble, you cap the indentation with glass (air trap).

Making a pattern of bubbles can be quite tedious, so some glass workers roll their gather over a bed of nails (flower frog), then plunge it into a pot of hot glass to encase the gather.