Bigwull - beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's not my type either, but, I'd have to say that it's still a pretty lamp, epergne, etc.
Mart - I'm not sure if it's glass, resin, or plastic. I'm going to have my neighbor take a look at it to see if she knows what the material might be. I'll post back on that.
Here is another picture of the wiring from the top where the vase sets. Also, the vase is far from perfect. It has lots of bubbles and imperfections inside the glass, and has 3 seams.