It sounds terribly romantic to travel to Venice and mostly like in your vision (and wishfully, in mine) have a glass of Veneto wine while we gaze at an array of dazzling Venetian Beads. Reality Check!
The new beads you see arriving at Venetian Bead Shop don’t have that romantic origin. For us, it begins with a color palette, sometimes a request from a customer, a need of our own jewelry for complimentary beads. Then, it’s a scouring through the Effetre cane colors and a trial with the foils, silver foil, gold foil and white gold. The Spring 2013 beads began with our trip to Venice in October, a trip to Effetre, a trip to the tool makers of Murano and samples to be sure we can produce. NEW COLORS:These new colors are the result of working with our good beadmakers in Venice to invent new colors to match the 2013 Spring Colors. Shortly we will have rounds in these colors in most sizes, followed by discs and you tell us what next. NEW SHAPES:
The new shapes we are launching took an even longer time. In 2009 we bought tools from an American tool maker and 8 pounds of metal we carried to Venice. No one wanted to try them. They didn’t look like the tools the Venetians use. SO, we brought them home. We carried them back in 2010. Again, no one was interested. So, we brought them home again. In October of 2012, we carried them back once again and wonders of wonders, with the help of a Muranese tool maker, we turned them into the kind of molds that they use to work and now everyone loves them!
Fortunately, we are long in patience and tenacity. And with the help of our good friends in Venice, we began working with the new tools. At this point, we have enlisted the help of the American tool makers to adapt their molds for our production. Our beads, as beautiful as they are, must be made in production, so the tools must be comfortable, efficient, guide themselves. It’s been a journey of discovery, and that after 20 years, there are still new things to learn about making Venetian Beads. As for the American tool maker, I believe he enjoyed it as well. A new trick!
And after making samples – some we like, some we must remake, we have the beginnings of a new line which we hope ou will like. Take a look at these new shapes and the colors below. Let us know which ones you like as well as which colors you prefer.
