We love this hour glass.  We have placed it beside a lamp on a an antique oak claw foot stand table in our formal dining room.  It has aqua (turquoise) sand in it.  The glass itself is clear but speckled with black and looks like an old mercury glass piece. It fits in quite well with our antique furniture in our formal living room.  Our guests never fail to turn it over when they sit in the chair next to the table.  We catch them glancing at it during their visit and watching the sand pass through.  It is a good conversation piece.  It is very attractive and well done.  It arrived in short order and in perfect condition.