Murano beads are intricate glass beads influenced by Venetian glass artists.
Complexities
There are many different methods a Murano glassworker can employ in the creation of beads depending upon the desired result. From variance in colour to method, the manufacture of these beads is a careful and delicate process.
Colour
The process of Murano beadmaking begins with the production of solid or hollow coloured glass canes using the finest quality crystal clear Moretti glass, a task which presents a significant challenge of its own. The chemical compounds involved in color fabrication are extremely sensitive so they must be mixed with absolute accuracy. Whereas aquamarine is created through the use of copper and cobalt, ruby red is achieved through the use of a gold solution as a colouring agent. A wide variety of minerals are used to create the brilliant colours used in the manufacture of Murano beads. See our most Popular Bead Colours.
Lampworking
Most Murano beads are made using the lampworking technique, a method which was invented by a Murano glass-master in the 1700's.
Lampworking is the most time consuming mode of glass beadmaking as each bead is formed individually. Using a torch for heat, Murano glass canes are heated to a molten state and spun around a metal rod until the ideal shape is achieved. Several layers of different coloured glass as well as gold and silver dust or foil (leaf) are used to produce the desired effect. Once the bead has cooled it is removed from the rod producing a hole for eventual stringing.
Venetian foil beads, with their fusion of coloured glass and gold or silver foil are just some of the beads made by lampworking.
Variety
While lampworked foil beads represent the bulk of manufacturing on Murano a wide variety of other methods and designs exist producing differing types of beads.
Typical Lampworked Foil Beads with Moretti Glass and 24 Carat Gold or .925 Sterling Silver Foil
Murano.
Murano.
Lampworking on Murano.
Photographs reproduced with the kind permission of Linea Arte Vetro, Murano, Venice, Italy.
Murano Beads
Murano Beads.
Murano.
Seedbeads or Conterie
Seedbeads are quite small, round beads. To produce this tiny bead, hollow canes of coloured glass are formed then chopped and re-fired for roundness and shade.
Chevron Bead or Rosetta
First produced in Murano at the end of the 14th Century, these beads are made from a hollow cane of six layers of glass: white; blue; white; brick red; white; and finally blue. After this layering the canes are chopped and re-fired to produce individual smooth beads. The product is distinguished by a red, white and blue zigzag pattern.
Millefiori or Lace Beads
The vibrant and abstract millefiori beads are made in a similar fashion to Chevron beads but from a solid cane of multiple layers of coloured glass.
Venetian Blown Beads
When the lampwork flame was introduced, beadmakers discovered they could melt the canes and then blow the glass. Today this glassblowing is called the filigrana or filigree method. To produce these beads with stripes of colour and spirals, glassworkers lay canes of glass down then pick them up with a blowpipe.
Typical Designs
Abstract. Abstract features a random use of colour or 24 Carat gold or .925 Sterling Silver foil.
Sommerso and Aventurina. Sommerso glass beads are named after the technique which submerges different colours beneath Moretti glass. The use of aventurina, gold dust or leaf, gives them sparkle.
Klimt. 24 Carat gold foil over a black base under a layer of Moretti glass. Often found with millefiori exterior.
Millefiori. Millefiori means 'thousand flowers' in Italian. These are thought of as the more traditional Murano beads.
Miro. Worked with Moretti glass over Sterling Silver or 24 Carat gold foil then decorated with bright colors and abstract designs.
'Jewellery is one of the most useful accessories in the fashionable woman's wardrobe.'
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Missoni. Multiple coloured stripes inside transparent coloured Moretti glass lined with 24 Carat gold or white gold foil.
