The Overlooked Business Gift

Whimsical Paperweight $60

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What some consider to be a simple and unassuming desk accessory has been locked in treasure vaults of royalty and collected by the world’s most famous personalities.

The history of the paperweight is fascinating. During turbulent times of Napoleonic France, around 1845, Parisian glasshouses began to create pieces of crystal that would permanently impact the history of glass art. Designed originally as an elegant gift item for sale to the burgeoning middle class, each piece carried a sentiment. For example, a pansy weight spoke of “tender thoughts” and friendship; a rose weight was given as a token of love.

These small crystal pieces became instantly prized and French factories strived to surpass each other as the paperweight metamorphosed into a presentation piece. When Queen Victoria called nations to exhibit their finest accomplishments at London’s Great Exhibition of 1851, France displayed paperweights.

Fast forward to today, glass artists continue to include their most complex glasswork in paperweights. I have 5 paperweights on my desk, each guarding over their own stack of papers. My most favorite end-of-day “to-do” is to review my stacks and place a weight on top of them. Some are colorful glass objects, such as a small staircase …as a reminder of climbing to success, and one is even an ornate bookmark. They are my gatekeepers and friends.

The whimsical paperweights of John Derian are inviting to any desk where work and fancy unite. In particular, this clover paperweight is abundant with good thoughts. The four-leaf clover is an ancient sign for good luck, according to the old folk rhyme: “One leaf for fame/ And one for wealth/ One for a faithful lover, / And one to bring you glorious health”. Also, dreaming of a field of clover foretells of prosperity, health and success and in Ireland, it is an omen symbolizing love, heroism and wit.

Now, who couldn’t use a little more luck, wealth or health?