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Introduction To
Genuine Murano Glass Beads and Pendants.
Murano Glass Jewellery -
Original Designs by Heart2Heart Creations.
Murano Glass Beads are handmade on Island of Murano,
Venice, Italy.
Murano: The Glass Island
T here
was a time when the trade of glass blowing indeed, glassmaking in general was
dominated by an elite group of craftsmen in the
Venetian Republic, most notably on the
island of Murano.
An Ancient Tradition - Venetian Glass Making
Since ancient times man has paid an almost
mystic attention to glass, attributing
something magical and supernatural to this transparent material.
Magicians of
legend could predict the future by gazing
into a crystal sphere, chemists and
alchemists studied prisms in search of a
stone which would turn metal into gold,
magic that was born in flames and like
that fire that gave life to the popular belief
of the Phoenix, the mythological bird with
the golden plumes, glass is synonymous
with beauty.
    
Still today, for the visitors who
come to Murano, the same scenes which inspired
writers and legend are represented.
In fact the furnace structures have remained
unaltered over time and new
technology is seen only in small details. All this is
because of the attachment the master
glass-blowers have towards tradition. Like
a clock, they seem to have stopped
time in the more than one thousand years of
history of glass-blowing in Venice.
    
The glass masters "battono"
the same glass-blowers pipes and the same instruments
which were knowingly forged in the
machine shops which were built up over the island
which, together with other small
activities, has made Murano one of the centres of
Venetian commerce. The
origins of the art of glass blowing in Venice go back to before
the first millennium.
This is confirmed by a document written by a Benedict monk,
Domenico called "Fiolario", who manufactured phials for use in the home.
There is
no certainty as to the shape of
this phial since not one, neither whole nor in pieces,
survived to the present day.
We can only hypothesize as to the aspect of the phial
from some iconographic documents.
The technique used to make the phial was
that of blowing into glass
using those instruments that the late Roman glass blowing
activities had passed down through
the ages. It is presumed that later the technique
was refined in Venice more than
any where else in Europe because of the trading
contacts that the Venetians had
with the Orient and above all with countries that
already had an ancient tradition
in glass blowing such as the Fenici, the Syrians
and the Egyptians.
    
Such traditions, renewed in the
celebrated furnaces of Islam, were an occasion to
reconstruct both Western and
Oriental knowledge and techniques there by giving the
Venetian production a
particularness that made their glass so important throughout the
world over the course of
centuries. Today Venetian glass production is at it's
pinnacle,
and is world renowned for it's
quality and form. In the mean time, the old Amurianum,
as the island of Murano has been
called in honour of one of the ports of Altino, grew in
prestige. So much so
as to be considered separate from the other Venetian islands,
enjoying a certain liberty
afforded by the "Signoria" (ruling class). Such privilege
was
assigned in virtue of the furnaces
that were installed there and consequently the
economic importance that Murano
began to have in the social fabric of the
Serenissima. By verdict of
the Doge and carried over by Doge Tiepolo in 1291, the
island of Murano was declared a
true and proper industrial area and soon became
the capital of glass production in
the world.
    
The Doge was represented by a head
of state and flanked by a popular council called
Arengo, among the various privileges they were
afforded was the so called "Libro d'Oro"
or golden book where the names of
the most important families were recorded. The
icon of the "oselle" or the
conservation of the symbol (the rooster carrying a fox on it's
back and a serpent in it's beak)
is the extraordinary concession that the families of
Murano shared with the nobility of Venice.
The affinity between Venice and Murano
is curiously seen in the
morphology of the two cities which presents the same public
squares, streets, internal canals
and even the same "Grand Canal" which runs through it.
    
It was deemed necessary to construct an
order in the productive cycle from the buying
of raw materials to the formation of Glass Masters and the
preservation of the product.
These rules were transcribed from classic latin into a
more known language. This
transcription took place in the first half
of the 1400's with the writing and approval of
"Mariegole della arte dei verieri de
Muran" (rules of the art of glass-blowing of
Murano) and is preserved at the Correr Museum in Venice.
The manuscript with
a frontispiece illustrating Saint Anthony
Abate, patron saint of glassblowers, is bound
in a velvet and gold cover (17th Century).
Along with the category of glass-blower
who was dedicated to the production of
blown or hollowed out glass other catagories
were added such as mirror-maker and
window-pane maker and in particular rolled
glass bound in strips of lead (leaded
glass maker).
   
There was also the category of glass
flower-maker, bead and "conterie" maker. The
name "conterie" or counter is thought to
have come from the habit of using beads
almost like currency considering the
quantity and diffusion throughout the countries
with which the Venetian Republic traded.
All of the glass-making specialties were
represented in the internal council which
were elected each year and were composed
of furnace owners and the "Stazionieri",
that is to say the sellers who were intrusted
with the job of selling the final
products. Hierarchies grew up around the furnaces
that governed the production activities in
the "Piazza" (local square) with the
"maestri" (glass masters), "garzoni" and
"garzonetti" (lackies), "serventi" and
"serventini" (trainees) and not least of
all the "forcelanti" (glass-cutters) who were
at the direct dependence of the Glass
Master to whom which he paid solicitous
respect seeing in him not only a teacher
but above all as mentor.
  
Murano glass has know moments of glory
over the centuries as well as moments of
decline. However it has always been characterized by an obsessive
search for quality.
In fact Murano's motives in its pride has
always been its aesthetic quality which has often
contrasted with its competition and has frustrated attempts at
imitation.
Through out the history of art, the hollow
blown glass of Murano has forged it's own path,
it's strength being in its variation of type and class.
From its poly-chromatic glazes and
the gold in the cobalt blue of the
Barovier cup to the lightness and transparency of its
glasses; from the delicateness of the
lattice-work to the originality of Murano glass; from
the mosaics to the counting beads; from
the panes of glass to the mirrors, it all
represents the original history of glass.
Just as painting and sculpture, interior
design, mode and jewelry have become entwined
in the history of Murano, considering the
versatility of the material to adapt to other forms
of artistic expression.
Especially today, in fact many artist have
felt the need to shape, through the
knowledgeable hands of the master
glass-blowers of Murano, their ideas through the
magic of glass, in search of significance
in their works of art in the very profoundness
of the material's transparency.
"Supplying quality glass
products since 1291"
Murano was a commercial port as far back
as the 7th Century, and by the 10th
Century it had grown into a prosperous
trading center with its own coins, police force,
and commercial aristocracy.
Then, in 1291, the Venetian Republic ordered
glassmakers to move their foundries to
Murano because the glassworks represented
a fire danger in Venice, whose buildings
were mostly wooden at the time. It wasn't long
until Murano's glassmakers were the
leading citizens on the island. Artisans were
granted the right to wear swords and
enjoyed immunity from prosecution by the
notoriously high-handed
Venetian state. By the late 14th Century, the daughters of
glassmakers were allowed to marry into
Venice's blue-blooded families. Glassmakers
weren't allowed to leave the Republic.
If a craftsman got a hankering to set up shop
beyond the Lagoon, he risked being
assassinated or having his hands cut off by the
secret police although, in practice,
most defectors weren't treated so harshly.
What made Murano's
glassmakers so special?
For one thing, they were the
only people in Europe who knew how to make a mirror.
They also developed or refined
technologies such as crystalline glass, enameled
glass, glass with
threads of gold (aventurine),
multicolored glass (millefiori),
milk
glass
(lattimo),
and imitation
gemstones made of glass.
Their virtual monopoly on
quality glass lasted for centuries,
until glassmakers in Northern and Central Europe
introduced new techniques and fashions
around the same time that colonists were
emigrating to the New
World.
Commerce and Art
Murano is still an exporter of
traditional products like mirrors and glassware, and its
factories produce modern items such as
faucet handles, glass lampshades, and
electric chandeliers. At the
retail level, there's a growing emphasis on art glass and
most important of all the souvenir trade.
Visit the ubiquitous glass shops on
Murano or in Venice, and you'll find countless
paperweights, glass beads and necklaces,
knickknacks, and items of glass jewelry.
Some are amusing: e.g., coloured fish in
transparent glass aquariums, or wrapped
hard candies of multi-coloured glass.
Others are pretty--glass
necklaces and beads, for example.
Murano's artisans do produce stunning
works of contemporary art from glass, although
some of
the
designs are by foreign artists.
Don't miss the
Museo Vetrario,
or Glass
Museum, which is located in the
Palazzo
Giustinian
near
the island's centre.
The
museum holds samples of glass from
Egyptian times through the present day, and the
displays show how the art and
manufacture of glass developed over the centuries.
History of the Murano Glass Pendant
Besides from being stylish and popular
these pendants have a bit of history behind
them. Murrine
are slender rods or canes of multicolored glass. Slices of Murrine
fused together are often called
"millefiore" or "thousand flowers", which derives from
the variety of floral patterns and
geometric shapes that are present within the glass rod.
The use of murrine rods can be found in bowls and vases throughout history from
Ancient Rome,
Phoenician and Alexandrine times. Murrine is referred to in some
of the worlds most respected works, Pliny the Elder describes it in his book of
Natural
History (Book XXXVII), which lists all of the leading methods of art production
at
the time. Murrine didn't resurface until the 16th century when it
was rediscovered
just a short boat ride away
from Venice on the island of Murano.
Creating a Murano Glass
Pendant
To create a pendant, a glass rod is covered with layers of different colored
glass to
create an
intricate design, and heated in the furnace so the layers
fuse together.
The rod is then re-heated and pulled to become very thin but still maintain the
perfect cross
section of the original design. Once the rod cools off, it is cut
into
small discs. These tiny sections of various canes or "millefiori"
are cut and
patiently and artistically placed
into metal rings of different shapes and sizes.
These
designs can be in the form of a heart, cross or simple circle. These
pieces are then reheated again to
slightly fuse the canes together to form the
pendant. The rough pendant
is then ground and polished to make it look like
a magnificent glass mosaic.
This creation is only complete once it is framed
in a gold or silver setting,
transforming it into a
treasured jewel. Pictures or
photographs of these pendants never seem
to do them justice. Viewing these
pendants in the sunlight allowing the
light to shine through will show off this jewels
beauty. Each pendant is created by hand so no
two will ever be identical.
When you buy a Murano glass pendant, you know you are getting a one-of
a kind gem!
  
Beadmaking - Venetian Style
The scenes below are from
production houses in Venice and Murano, a glimpse into
the work, the techniques and daily
life of a beadmaker. Canes from Effetre (Moretti)
furnace in Murano are the
first step in making beads. Some colors are more difficult
to work (a little slower or
they burn out in the flame). Some colors, it turns out are also
difficult for Moretti to
make. On the wall are tools
which help the beadmaker with shapes,
more consistent sizing and generally improve production time. They are used for
hearts, stars, triangles and other shapes and are made by local toolmakers. Round
is a natural
shape (though sizing is by eye) occurring with the rotation of the glass in the
flame - after lots of
practice.
Her mother taught her and she
taught her daughter.
Three generations of beadmakers.
Beginning of the
Bead.
Here the first
step is getting your cane hot and fluid to begin wrapping around the copper
mandrel. See how the cane is a glowing
orange-red. The temperature here is about
900 ° Farenheit.
The plastic glass helps prevents popping embers from hitting the
beadmaker.
The beadmaker is
making a simple gold foil tube, submerged under crystal clear glass.
On the round tray
to her left are the small pieces of 24kt gold foil, (gold leaf) which she
will wrap around her bead.
Most Venetian
Beads are made on copper mandrels and when completed are simply
chopped off and then in a bath of
nitric acid the copper dissolves. The invention of this
process is
attributed to Ercole Moretti & filli in about 1935. From antiquity,
the beads
were made on
metal mandrels over which a powder clay had been applied, much
like the
lampworkers around the world use today.
Venetian Bead Sizes
You will find Venetian Beads
and Murano Beads in round, squares, stars, moons,
crosses, hearts, tubes, curves and all possible shapes
within a particular bead size.
Our Murano beads are handmade and as such
the size is only an approximation.
Handmade beads will vary from bead to bead.
This is part of the beauty of the
Venetian beads.
6mm Smallest beads used as accent or fillers.
8mm Small Venetian Beads, used as fillers, sometimes earrings and often
used in bracelets.
10mm This Venetian Bead is a nice size for a necklace or earrings or
bracelets.
12mm A size which is good for necklaces and bracelets.
14mm This is a little more than 1/2 inch and most often used in
necklaces.
16mm Use in Necklaces, stickpins.
17-18mm Use in Necklaces, stickpins.
19-21mm Use in Necklaces, stickpins.
22-26mm Size is about 1 inch so for focal beads, center piece beads
and stickpins.
27-30mm One Inch in size, Size is about 1 inch so for focal beads,
center piece
beads and
stickpins.
31+mm
These are our largest beads, some about 40 mm so they are naturally
for center
pieces
and focal beads in your
Venetian Jewellery.
The Venetian beads are
handmade in the centuries old tradition known as lampwork or
a lume, the Italian word for working with the
torch. Venice began as the city of glass
but with the fires and political events all glass furnaces were
moved to Murano in late
thirteenth century.
However as part of the movement which precluded any glass making
in Venice, it did approve the
working with the lume (flame) in Venice which accommodated
the then thriving home based business of making beads.
Today the tradition continues
with the canes for these
Murano glass beads being produced in Murano and many of
our bead makers living and
working in Venice. Please enjoy our Venetian beads and
Murano glass beads.
Bicone Shaped
Venetian beads in the CaDOro style with
24kt gold foil submerged beneath the
translucent colors of Moretti glass. The Murano glass beads are in the shape of two
cones together and measure approximately
16mm length and 15mm in diameter at
the largest portion. Imported from Venice.
Murano and Venetian glass beads
create unique and original handmade
jewellery.
Cube Shaped
Venetian Beads in popular 14mm chunky cube.
Murano glass cube featuring
transparent Moretti glass over sterling
silver. Size is approximately 14 x 14mm.
Handmade in Venice. Murano and
Venetian glass beads create unique and original
handmade jewellery.
Curve Shaped
This remarkable Venetian glass bead can
only be made by the Venetians and
Muranese because it involves heating the
copper mandrel inside the bead
while it is being made to a temperature
that allows them to end the mandrel
and still maintain the bead shape.
Flat curve 40mm long by 12mm wide and
7mm thick. Handmade in Venice
using transparent glass over 24kt gold foil,
great quality. Lays beautifully against your neck.
Available in Crystal, Herb,
Blue, Topaz, Amethyst, Red, Olive and
Aquamarine. Murano and Venetian
glass beads create unique and original handmade
jewellery.
Diamond Shaped
Beautiful large elongated diamond shape in Fenicio,
Spiral and Mosaic styles.
Handmade in Venice by one of our top
beadmakers. The colors are vibrant and the
encasing magnifies the color.
Size of approximately 25mm in length by 20mm at
the largest point. These will be beautiful in your
Venetian glass jewellery. Matching
squares and rounds are also available.
Murano and Venetian glass beads create
unique and original handmade jewellery.
Heart Shaped
Decorated 24kt gold foil heart with
handpainted floral over opaque black glass.
Handmade in Venice. Approximately 25mm and 18mm thick.
Puffy. Ideal as
centerpiece in necklace or pendant
necklace. Available now in Red, Rubino (hot pink)
and Black. The newest is the white gold over the
black. On this style (the white gold),
the white gold will deepen in color.
Murano and Venetian glass beads create unique
and original handmade jewellery.
Lentil or Disc Shaped
21mm Sommerso featuring Aventurina
submerged beneath translucent glass.
Handmade in Venice. Murano and
Venetian glass beads create unique and original
handmade jewellery.
Oval Shaped
Venetian Beads Sommerso Ovals with small
bits of matching Moretti glass suspended
inside like little clouds. This type bead is a very old style in
Murano beads. Size is
approximately 15mm long and 8 mm in
diameter. Great size for earrings.
Murano and Venetian glass beads create unique and
original handmade jewelry.
Round Shaped
Extra smooth Moretti bead made with slices of
millefiori, available in patterns as shown.
Each bead is first made with the slices,
then for extra smoothness, the beads are
tumbled much like stones which results in a bead with the slices
completely smooth.
High quality. Murano and
Venetian glass beads create unique and original handmade
jewellery.
Square Shaped
Murano glass bead, great little square
about 13mm of Moretti glass with a single daisy
on each side. These have very straight sides, very popular style in new colors.
Handmade in Venice, Italy.
Murano and Venetian glass beads create unique and
original handmade jewelry.
Murano glass abstract style boxes
approximately 11mm by 11mm and 5mm thick.
Interior color with splashes of gold
and encased in crystal clear glass. Popular for
earrings. Available in Green,
Blue, Topaz, Aqua, Amethyst, Red, Cobalt, Black,
Rubino, Sea Foam. Handmade in
Venice and will vary slightly in size due to the
handwork, sometimes called Tosca.
Murano and Venetian glass beads create
unique and original handmade jewellery.
Rectangle Shaped
Large Venetian Glass Bead rectangles
approximately 36mm x 30mm, perfect for that
focal bead in your necklace.
Layered with 24kt gold foil and luscious Moretti glass
colours, they look simply rich. The hole through the center.
Available in 24kt gold foil
and in white gold foils. Great depth is
due to the final encasing of crystal clear glass.
Murano and Venetian glass beads create unique and
original handmade jewellery.
Box Shaped
Wonderful little 10 x 10mm boxes about 7mm
thick made of transparent colored glass
over sterling silver. Handmade in Venice.
Murano and Venetian glass beads create
unique and original handmade jewellery.
Star Shaped
21mm Stars of translucent glass
encasing 24kt gold foil. The gold foil gives them a
depth of color. Imported from Murano, Italy.
Colours & styles - Burnt Orange and
Rubino are splashes of color irregular and
not the solid coverage shown on other
stars - makes for an interesting look, but no two are alike.
Murano and Venetian
glass beads create unique and original
handmade jewellery.
Bi-color large Venetian Glass stars,
approximately 21mm in diameter. Shades of
Moretti glass colors with layers of 24kt
gold foil make these interesting shapes and
colours for your jewellery.
Available in steel (grey), blue, topaz, aqua, green,
amethyst, red, cobalt blue, and black, all
with gold. Handmade Venetian beads.
Murano and Venetian glass beads create unique and
original handmade jewellery.
Twist Shaped
Murano glass beads, smaller twist leaf shape about 16mm x
6mm thick. Hand worked
smoke glass worked over 24kt white gold
foil (softer look than silver). Handmade in
Venice by a Husband and Wife team.
Available in Crystal, Herb, Blue, Aqua, Amethyst,
Steel and Aquamarine. Murano
and Venetian glass beads create unique and original
handmade jewellery.
Fancy Venetian double spiral bead
measuring approximately 15mm in diameter and 28mm
in length. Very
difficult to produce as it requires heating the bead to a temperature where to
twist the entire bead, and runs the risk
of closing the hole as the copper mandrel thins during
the twisting. Handmade in Venice using 24kt gold
foil and .925 sterling silver. Available in
colors as shown: crystal, peach pink,
blue, topaz, aqua, amethyst, red and rubino. Murano
and Venetian glass beads create unique and
original handmade jewellery.
Tube Shaped
Venetian glass tube beads measuring
approximately 10mm x 26mm. Each bead is
handmade with slices of millefiori glass
cane. Handmade in Murano. Murano and
Venetian glass beads create unique and
original handmade jewellery.
Butterfly Shaped
Venetian handmade butterfly beads, with
hole running vertically so it makes a great
pendant. Beads are a little
over 1 x 1 inch and are made with Moretti colors of
transparent glass shades with 24kt gold
foil running through them to give them a natural
look. Very popular this year - make
something new and unusual. Murano and
Venetian glass beads create unique and
original handmade jewellery.
Cross Shaped
Mixed Bouquet of Daisies in millefiori
cross 20mm x 30 mm (not counting the silver
coloured bail) with bail height is about 35mm (1 1/4 inch).
Made in Murano, no two
ever exactly alike. Each has same shades of flowers.
Available in Aqua, Dark Blue,
Black and White, Pink and Red.
Murano and Venetian glass beads create unique
and original handmade jewellery.
Fish Shaped
Delightful Venetian Glass Fish
approximately 25mm long with the hold going from Mouth
to tail. Flashy red lips give them a carnivale'
look. The transparent colors are over
24kt gold foil with small pieces of
Millefiori making the eyes. Murano and Venetian glass
beads create unique and original handmade
jewellery.
Flower Shaped
Venetian glass bead in the shape of a
small flower 15mm in diameter, available in
colours shown over sterling silver foil. Size is approximately 15mm in
diameter.
Handmade in Venice.
Available in Crystal, Green, Blue, Topaz, Aqua, Amethyst
(Purple), Steel (Grey) and Cobalt.
Flowers in white gold which is very similar to the
silver. Murano and Venetian
glass beads create unique and original handmade
jewellery.
Beadmaking in Venice
The history of beadmaking in Venice goes
back to the days of Marco Polo when he
returned from his travels with the beads of Asia.
Local artisians took to their glass
making skills to reproduce in glass the
precious stones of Marco Polo. In Venice and
Murano, the beading industry has
historically been a woman's work. In the picture
above you see the women working while
caring for their children. During the 1920s -
1930s, the conterie (seed bead) industry
sustained Venice's glass industry. The wars
took the men from the furnaces and between
World War I and World War II there was
little time to build up the industry.
During the 1930s there were as many as 30
companies making the tiny beads, employing
hundreds of women.
Introduction to
Venetian Murano Glass Pendants
Millefiori, also known as ‘1000 flowers is
a glass design characterized by a mosaic
flowerlike pattern. The Millefiori
technique is used to make pendants, beads, paperweights
and other glass products.
The most popular Millefiori item is a
pendant.
History of
Millefiori Pendants
Millefiori Pendants are made using
murrine, or slender, multicolored glass canes.
Murrine are fused together to create
Millefiori pendants.
The use of murrine rods can be traded back
to Ancient Rome, Phoenician and
Alexandrine times though the Millefiori
technique was developed in Murano, Italy in
the 15th century.
The Millefiori technique was created by
altering another glassmaking method.
Until the 15th century, glassmakers were
producing beads from Rosetta canes.
Rosetta canes have a center hole.
The technique involves layering six layers
of glass (white, blue, white, brick red, white
then blue) over a hollow cane creating
patterns of 5 concentric stars with twelve points.
Beads are created when Rosetta canes are
chopped.
Millefiori was born when glassmakers
produced Rosetta using a cane with no hole.
Millefiori is made using a seemingly
endless amount of colors and layers.
Creating a
Millefiori Pendant
To create a Millefiori pendant, glass rod
is coated with layers of different colored glass.
This creates the intricate Millefiori
design.
The rod is furnace heated to fuse the
layers of glass.
After re-heating, the rod is pulled very
thin.
The trick is to maintain the original
Millefiori design.
After cooling, the rod is sliced then
placed in metal rings, creating the Millefiori pendant.
Creating a Millefiori pendant is an
extensive process.
Each Millefiori pendant is handmade one by
one making every Millefiori pendant one
of a kind.
Millefiori pendants come in many styles
and sizes.
They’re beautiful!
Whichever Millefiori pendant you buy,
you’re sure to love it!
Original Designs - One Of
A Kind Jewellery - Wearable Art Jewellery.
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