Pretty close -- it's regular string wound around a large round empty, with a light bulb suspended in the middle, i.e., a '70s era hanging lamp. The dark color is because a)the only light is from the inner bulb and b)I didn't do any color adjustment. I made it when I was young, just married, and poor. (I'm no longer young or married, for the record.) It consists of about a thousand yards of Elmer's Glue covered string wound around a large balloon, the latter being popped once the whole mess dried. Boy, talk about more than anyone wanted to know!