Millefiori

The literal translation for the Italian word millefiori is thousand flowers.

Millefiori in glass begins with glass canes (rods) through which a single flower design runs such that the flower design is visible on the surface of cross sections (slices) of the cane.

The glass canes (usually there are a variety of designs) are sliced and the slices are arrange side-by-side so that when they are fused together, or when they are picked up on a gather of hot glass, the surface of the object is covered with the flower designs. The technique has been used extensively by paper weight artists.