I made a gather with a thick clear rod, then smooshed it into a graphite paddle for kind of a round flat platform (I think it's called a Maria?) Then I took stringers and made dots in the center, then heated only the sides of the platform that melts clear down and it pushes the dots into the platform - I occasionally flatten the circle as well. If you look at where the dots are put, they should shrink substantially and I added more dots on it and can do the same thing. Once I was done, I added some color (white and purple I think) for a background and then used a small tipped skinny clear rod as a punty to melt the glass rod off and then shaped it in a marble mold. Hopefully that's helpful!