In Venice, glass is part of the city’s identity—and this September, it took center stage once again. The tenth edition of The Venice Glass Week took place September 12–20, 2026, across Venice, Murano and Mestre, celebrating the people, ideas and craftsmanship that keep artistic glass alive.
For those of us who love authentic Murano glass beads, the festival offers a wonderful reminder: even a small bead can hold an extraordinary amount of artistry. And the glass rods, the avventurina each hold centuries of passed on knowledge, and this knowledge like the trees that hold up Piazza San Marco are all an absolute requirement before the first torch is lit by our bead makers.
A celebration of tradition and new ideas
The 2026 program included more than 200 events, ranging from exhibitions and installations to talks, visits and workshops. Its focus brought Venetian glass making traditions into conversation with contemporary research and design.
That connection matters. A living craft needs both the knowledge passed down through generations and the imagination of artists willing to try something new. Color, light, texture and form give glassmakers endless possibilities—and give jewelry designers endless reasons to keep creating.
Murano glass lights up St. Mark’s Square
One particularly beautiful example was Murano Illumina il Mondo, inaugurated during the festival’s opening weekend. Twelve new artist-designed chandeliers, made in collaboration with Murano glass furnaces, were installed beneath the arches of the Procuratie Vecchie in St. Mark’s Square.
The installation is scheduled to remain on view through November 1, 2026, extending the celebration beyond the festival itself. Each chandelier brings together an artist’s vision and the skill of a Murano furnace.
Piazza San Marco is host to an amazing array of authentic Murano Glass lighting. https://theveniceglassweek.com/en/murano-illumina-il-mondo-2026/
My favorite is this this one below by Gianni Seguso. It is whimsical but the maestro in the furnace brings the birds to life.
For bead lovers, there is something familiar in that partnership: an idea becomes possible because an artisan understands how glass behaves under heat and how to shape it into something beautiful.
Looking back to understand what comes next
The programme also included the exhibition “1948–1958. Murano Glass and the Venice Biennale” at Le Stanze del Vetro. The Fondazione Giorgio Cini’s Glass Study Centre offered opportunities to explore archival drawings, designs, photographs and documents.
These records preserve more than finished objects. They help tell the story of the decisions, experiments and creative relationships behind them. Looking at the history of glass can give us a fresh appreciation for the pieces we choose today.
The art you can hold in your hand
The festival celebrates artistic glass in many forms. Here at VenetianBeadShop, our connection to that world is through beads and the makers behind them.
For more than 33 years, we have worked directly with bead makers in Venice and Murano, building relationships with artisans and their families. We have also collaborated on our own bead designs, combining traditional techniques with new colors and ideas.
A handmade bead asks you to look closely. Notice the way transparent glass catches the light, the glow of enclosed gold or silver foil, or the movement of a pattern across its surface. Small differences in size, decoration and color are part of handwork; no two handmade beads are exactly alike.
When you use these beads in jewelry, your own choices become part of their story.
Bring a little Venice to your next design
You do not need to make a complicated piece to enjoy beautiful glass. Start with one bead you love and build around its colors.
- Let a gold foil heart become the focal point of a simple necklace.
- Pair rich red or cobalt beads with a few complementary accents for earrings.
- Choose patterned beads for a bracelet and repeat one color to bring the design together.
- Mix transparent glass with foil-lined beads to explore different effects of light.
These are our jewelry-making suggestions, inspired by a celebration of glass and craftsmanship. Let the materials guide you, and leave enough space in your design for their details to be seen.
Keeping the story alive
The Venice Glass Week reminds us that glass making is an ongoing creative tradition. Its future depends on people who make, study, collect and appreciate the work. It depends on the Masters who walk into the furnace each day with their inspiration and strength to carry on the tradition.
Watch Simone make it like a child’s game as he makes a beautiful vase. https://youtu.be/UcZ3liKVFjY
Thank you for sharing our love of authentic Venetian and Murano glass—and for giving these beads another chapter in the jewelry you make, sell and give
We do not sell beads, we sell romance, art and history.