Sorry to be so long getting back! I'm in the process of moving everything from this computer to a portable hard drive, which I will move to another computer later.
It's a religious oven mitt! Just kidding!!!
I believe it is ceramic. No to all the guesses so far. As far as size, you could easily hold it in your hand.
None of the above. Some of these things are strictly for function. This one could be functional, but is probably more for its looks. My guess is that this is no longer than an inch.