St. Louis was originally founded in 1767 in Lorraine, an area with an ideal infrastructure for the production of high-quality lead crystal. One of the earliest St. Louis millefiori paperweights bears the date 1845. The most common date, however, is 1848 together with the initials SL. Sometimes, the SL signature appears on its own without a date. The factory made a wide range of millefiori weights including concentrics and carpet grounds - occasionally with silhouettes (dancing figures, camels, dogs etc) - and a variety of excellent lampwork pieces. Production seems to have ceased around 1860-70 as interest in paperweights in Europe declined.

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