The latest from Murano during their shut down. They are in their 9th week and now a few things are beginning to open. It is a welcome for everyone, that they may, hopefully, begin getting their espresso and cappuccino again soon.Venice has been extremely fortunate to have few cases of COVID19 and still in Murano,…
Category: Industry Issues
Celebrating 25 Years @VenetianBeadShop
La Fenice furnace on Murano whose owner GianFranco Albertini taught me the ins and outs of Murano GlassTaking a walk down memory lane, 25 years ago in August we made our first buying trip to Venice. Now why our Italian son-in-law never thought to tell us that Italy is “Closed” in August is still a…
Glass Conference in Murano and Fashion Show
The island of Murano was host to the GAS (Glass Art Society) with world wide participation. Everyone who works with glass paid tribute to the heritage of Murano. This week it was evident and the pure joy and excitement of the students of glass as they wandered around the island was abundantly obvious. While I…
Silver Fill versus Sterling Silver
The patent on Gold Fill (process which is the same as Silver Fill) was filed in 1900 in Providence Rhode Island, the birthplace of the costume jewelry industry in the United States. In case you weren’t clear on Silver Fill versus Sterling Silver, our Silver Findings are produced from either Silver Ingot or Silver Pebbles…
Cheap Rates from China – Dianne Feinstein Answer? or Non-Answer?
Since I believe that our elected officials should hear what concerns us, I wrote both Mike Honda and Dianne Feinstein. (As normal I get a nothing response….but eventually they do respond.) So that you can all see exactly her response I have copied it EXACTLY here. It is not a surprise. Basically Honda and Feinstein both…
Speak Up – USPS Negotiating Preferential Rates to China
What do you think about a seller in HongKong (China in general) shipping a 1 pound package to New York City for $3.66 while a seller in New York City pays slightly under $6.00 to ship the same weight package? It gets worse for the 2 ounce package: A Chinese shipper can ship for .98…
Calcedonia Glass – Technique from the 15th Century, Lost and ReFound!
Calcedonia (Chalcedony) is a glass made with silver and other elements (glass is above all a chemical reaction which takes place in heat), developed in Murano during the mid fifteenth century. Angelo Barovier is attributed with developing this polychrome glass around 1460 (the 15th Century).The Barovier name has been synonymous with Murano Glass since the furnaces…
Why Buy Murano – Venetian Beads
We published this article a few years ago, but it is still valid. I was prompted to update it when a reader on our FaceBook Page commented on a picture of beads and saying “wow so expensive, i find these places …. i go to garage sales, and regular stores and can get some amazing glass beads…
UPC, EAN, GTIN, ISBN – What does it Mean?
If you list any items on Amazon, you already know that you need a UPC or EAN to list. Then Google decided not to be left out of the party, so they opted for the GTIN. Now eBay, last in line, decided to stick with Amazon and they will now require a UPC or EAN or…
FTC New Rules for Jewelry – What You Need to Know
As a designer, artist and jewelry maker, it is unlikely you spend a lot of time contemplating the rules laid our by the FTC, Federal Trade Commission, but as persons, partnerships, corporations at every level of the trade who are engages in manufacturing, distributing and the sale of products, you too are subject to these requirements. For…