Venetian Beads - Venetian Bead Shop Blog

Ultimate Fall 2026 Color Inspiration: Murano Glass Beads

Fall/Winter 2026 Jewelry Colors: A Murano Glass Bead Guide

Each season brings new color inspiration, and Fall/Winter 2026–2027 offers a beautiful combination of expressive brights, rich earth tones, and calming shades inspired by nature. This year, we are particularly excited about the striking contrast between vibrant hues and the grounding tones that reflect the changing landscape during these months. In this blog, we explore ten leading colors from the season’s fashion forecast and interpret them through authentic Venetian and Murano glass beads, emphasizing the unique craftsmanship that goes into each piece. For each color, we have selected handmade beads that capture its character—not as exact standardized color matches, but as artistic interpretations brought to life through transparent and opaque Murano glass, 24-karat gold foil, sterling silver foil, and traditional Venetian glassmaking techniques. The interplay of these materials not only enhances the colors but also adds depth and texture, making them truly stand out. Click any featured bead photograph to visit its product page, learn more about the inspiration behind each selection, and shop the color for your next jewelry design, ensuring that your creations are as vibrant and dynamic as the season itself.

Taupe and topaz create a warm, versatile color story inspired by natural stone, amber light and the softly weathered architecture of Venice. Taupe provides a calm, earthy neutral, while transparent topaz adds golden-brown depth and warmth. In Murano glass, these colors pair beautifully with 24kt gold foil, avventurina, ivory, chocolate brown and rich autumn reds.

Burnt Olive, Green Envy & Acacia

Rooted in nature yet distinctly modern, Burnt Olive, Green Envy, and Acacia create a sophisticated progression of greens for Fall 2026. Burnt Olive brings an earthy, grounded depth with its muted olive undertones, while Green Envy introduces a fresher, more energetic yellow-green. Acacia completes the palette with a bright, luminous chartreuse that adds an unexpected spark. Together, these shades move beautifully from subdued and organic to vivid and contemporary, making them especially striking when translated into Murano Glass, where transparent color, gold foil, and avventurina can add even greater depth and brilliance.

Vibrant yet beautifully feminine, Festival Fuchsia and Foxglove bring warmth and energy to the Fall 2026 palette. Festival Fuchsia is bold, saturated, and exuberant—a rich jewel-like pink that immediately commands attention. Foxglove softens the story with a dusty, romantic rose pink that feels elegant and refined. Together, they create a wonderful balance of dramatic color and gentle sophistication, especially beautiful in Murano Glass where transparent pinks, gold foil, silver foil, and delicate Fiorato details can bring these shades to life.

Make the Fall 2026 Colors Your Own

These Murano Glass beads are just a few examples of how you can bring the colors of Fall 2026 into your jewelry designs. Use them as inspiration rather than rules—mix the season’s rich earth tones, sophisticated greens, vibrant pinks, ocean-inspired blues and warm neutrals with beads you already love. Add the shimmer of 24kt gold foil, sterling silver foil or avventurina, introduce the delicate flowers of Fiorato and Millefiori, or combine transparent and opaque glass for greater depth and contrast. With thousands of colors, shapes and styles of authentic Murano Glass to choose from, the possibilities extend far beyond the examples shown here. Choose the colors that speak to you, experiment with unexpected combinations, and make the Fall 2026 palette entirely your own.

Finding Inspiration: How Homo Faber Sparked Our New Venetian Bead Designs

The journey begins with a vaporetto ride to the Homo Faber exhibits in Venice, sparking inspiration for a new collection of Murano glass beads. Influenced by various artistic styles, colors, and textures, beadmakers creatively translate these ideas into unique designs that celebrate both tradition and innovation. Each bead reflects Venice’s rich craftsmanship.

It all begins with a vaporetto ride. Sometimes, the adventure starts with wading through high water just to leave the apartment. But the allure of the Homo Faber exhibits on the island of San Giorgio makes it all worthwhile. These incredible showcases of artistry spark boundless inspiration. So, off we went—with two of our beadmakers and a camera—to capture the magic.

In the world of Murano Glass, creativity is a dance between tradition and innovation, and for our studio, inspiration comes from everywhere. Our latest collection of beads owes its origin to a remarkable journey—one that started at the Homo Faber exhibit in Venice, where craftsmanship, artistry, and imagination collide.

A Visit to Homo Faber: The Spark of Creativity

Walking through the Homo Faber exhibit was like stepping into a living museum of art and tradition. Each room displayed breathtaking works from artisans around the world, from intricate textiles to finely crafted ceramics and, of course, extraordinary glassworks. What captivated us most were the colors, textures, and patterns that seemed to speak directly to the heart of Murano’s glassmaking heritage.

As we explored, we were struck by the diversity of designs—soft, ethereal hues juxtaposed with bold, geometric patterns, and textures that mimicked natural elements like woodgrain or rippling water. These visual treasures stirred something in us, and we knew instantly that these inspirations would breathe new life into our bead designs.

Our first spark of inspiration came from the mesmerizing work of artist Tuesday Riddell, who masterfully uses the Japanese lacquer technique. Her collection is nothing short of breathtaking—take a moment to explore her artistry for yourself. Tuesday Riddell

We were captivated by the striking interplay of black and gold, tones we frequently feature in our Venetian beads. Inspired by this elegant combination, our beadmakers were immediately motivated to craft new designs, bringing their own creative vision to life. Below are some of our bead maker’s first tries. I feel incredibly fortunate to have bead makers who can bring our ideas to life. I’m constantly amazed by their ability to craft entirely new and unique designs using the same tools, glass canes, and millefiori techniques that have been cherished for centuries.

From Vision to Reality: Working with Our Beadmaker

Back in the studio, they began translating these inspirations into tangible designs with the help of our incredible beadmaker. Armed with a treasure trove of photos, detailed sketches, and notes from our time at Homo Faber. They reviewed the patterns, colors, and textures that had spoken to us the most.

Designs: Abstract lines, geometric forms, and organic swirls all made their way into our sketches. Every detail was considered to ensure that the final product would not only look beautiful but also feel authentic to Murano’s legacy.

Colors: From the soft pastels of Venetian sunsets to the rich jewel tones of antique glass mosaics, we carefully selected a palette that reflected both the timelessness of Murano traditions and the bold innovation of modern design.

Textures: Many of our new beads feature layers—transparent glass over opaque bases or flecks of avventurina for sparkle and depth—echoing the intricate layering techniques we saw at the exhibit.

This collection is just the beginning as we explore new colors and expand on the inspiring themes from Homo Faber. We even had the privilege of getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the design processes of legendary houses like Cartier, Mercier, and Van Cleef & Arpels—a rare and fascinating experience that continues to fuel our creativity. A look at the sketch book reveals their process so similar to ours.

After countless hours of experimentation and collaboration, our beadmaker brought the sketches to life. The result is a collection of beads that celebrate the beauty of Murano’s craftsmanship while nodding to the innovative spirit we saw at Homo Faber. Each bead tells a story: the story of Venice, of our studio, and of the creative journey that began with a single spark of inspiration.

Whether it’s a delicate pink bead with avventurina shimmer or a bold black-and-gold design inspired by the exhibit’s contemporary installations, these beads are a testament to the power of collaboration and the endless wellspring of inspiration that is Venice.

An Invitation to Create

As we launch this collection, we’re excited to share these designs with you. We hope they inspire your own creations, just as Homo Faber inspired us. Each bead is a tiny piece of Venice—a city where artistry is woven into every canal and calle.

Thank you for joining us on this journey. Together, we keep the traditions of Murano alive, one bead at a time.

Venice Glass Week 2021

Venice Glass Week of 2021 was exciting but exhausting. There were so many exhibits, workshops that it would take a month to enjoy them all. There were exhibits not only in Venice, Murano and Giudecca but also in Mestre, the town before the bridge. In all, between open studios, gallery exhibits and events there were 132 listed.

The week also collided with the Venice Film Festival and the inauguration of the Rialto Bridge after its restoration which was paid for by Renzo Rosso (the head of Diesel and OTB – Only The Brave Foundation) .Rosso invited Andrea Boccelli to sing. The city was bursting with energy and the first cruise ship of the year also arrived.

The historic REGATA STORICA was held on 5 September. It commemorates the welcome of Caterina Cornaro in 1489, the wife of the King of Cyprus, who renounced her throne in favour of Venice.

My favorite event of the Venice Glass Week, and every year, is the Boca del Fuoco, a 5K run, in my case walk, around Murano beginning and ending at the beautiful San Donato Church. The 5K winds through the darken streets of Murano and through working glass furnaces. We were 550 people this year, everyone in masks of course, just not the fun ones of Carnevale. The kids were a favorite of the glass blowers who loved explaining how to blow glass to the kids.

View from the Bridge (named for Toffolo an actor born in Murano)

Our starting line was just outside the church on the fondamenta. We all received shirts with our route (you just needed someone to read as it was on the back). First over the bridge and to the EffetreMurano, the furnace that make the canes everyone uses to make beads, the cotise (the chunks that some furnaces use) and of course the millefiori.

Candles lit the way for us and the running team had enlisted the help of the youngsters with lighted torches to direct the traffic. The run is a benefit for the Venice Runners, a local group.

Walkway with Candles – Note the tiny Moon just behind the bell tower

There was music in every furnace, but for those of you who blow glass, you know this. The maestro (who ever is in charge) gets to choose the music, but it is always blaring. It has to be loud for you to hear over the noise of the furnace. You can see on the marvering table a tiny horse that was made for the kids. Nothing serious tonight, just fun.

In the photo below, we are at the EffetreMoretti (now known as Effetre Murano) and the guys are demonstrating how to make zanfirico a cane we use in our beads with a twisted design inside the transparent canes. Bead makers sometimes pull their own canes, but here it is industrial, pulled 15-20 feet long.

It is pretty clear that furnaces are not glamorous, they are hot and dangerous.

Take a look below at the beautiful vases. The glass blower is making a fazzoletto, a handkerchief vase, named because it looks like someone holding a handkerchief.

After we ran/walked the 5K, we returned to the garden behind the San Donato church where these dedicated group had prepared food for 550 people. We ate pasta and fried fish and vegetables.
The end to another great Venice Glass Week, even if I didn’t win the raffle.

Our brave Chiefs – Thank you! and See you next year!

The art of glass bead making awarded by Unesco

The 15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO has officially included the “Arte delle Perle di Vetro” This comes after several years of determined women of Venice, Cristina Bedin, Marisa Convento, and Claudia Cottica proposed to UNESCO so that this cultural heritage would not be lost.

Some ask why is the production of beads so important. (Well not anyone who ever made beaded jewelry.) Documents from Venice show that in 983 AD, a production of glass imitation of precious stones was underway. The furnaces were the domain of the men of Venice while the beadmaking became woman’s work. And as the furnaces were moved to Murano, the Venetians retained the right to create small pieces (figurines, beads, buttons) in their laboratories and homes in Venice.
To watch the video prepared announcing this (it is in French and Italian) and stresses the art and the history. The pictures are worth the watch: Click Here: https://youtu.be/6BwcUVYAPsg

Conterie (what you now know as Seed Bead) were produced in the furnaces in Murano beginning with a bubble of glass and gravity which allowed the glass to stream down from tall scaffolds maintaining the shape as it became smaller and the hole from the original bubble. The women of Venice and Murano strung these tiny beads onto thread using a tool with up to 100 needles. The merchants of Venice to shipped these around the world.

Flowers made from these small beads became a favorite for bouquets for gravesides as they withstood the weather and lasted. These were popular until the Japanese invented the silk flowers which were less expensive and became the flower of choice. In the video above, you can see some of the flowers being made.

Market Places, The Good, The Bad and the downright Ugly – AKA Brenda rants!!

Even our little ones had their own “store”

Market Places, The Good, The Bad and the downright Ugly
We get this question often “Where Can I sell my Jewelry?”
There is no easy answer and during the days of COVID19, many of the absolutely best places like Festivals, Home Jewelry events or local markets have been shut down..

Face-to-face

The absolutely best place to sell the creations you have dreamed up, beaded up, and fell in love with during the process is:

In PersonFace-to-face with the customer is the best way. Even our smallest bead sellers know the value of face-to-face as they ran their own bead shop inside our warehouse for a couple of years.
We had one customer who always wore multiple pieces on flights (again not available today). She would sell the jewelry right off her body to flight attendants, people sitting near her and of course giving our her card to direct them to her website.
Face-to-face, you can bring your creations to life as you talk about them, share your enthusiasm and give a bit of a history lesson. As I had said many times, we are not selling glass beads, we are selling romance, the history of Venice, the story of the beads, the beauty of the design and the resilient people who live on the islands.
Etsy Well for me Etsy is like a needy lover or friend. Etsy needs constant feeding, constant re-listing. True it has a good following and had a good reputation of truly unique, handmade goods……But over the years, it appears to have fallen victim to the corporate greed and bottom line numbers which has allowed a deluge of mass produced goods. We abandoned this marketplace years ago for its needy feeding habits. Maybe you can comment on why you like or do not like Etsy.
Amazon – Talk about corporate greed! Amazon has more than 350 million products available online. Of those some 12 million are sold directly by Amazon – which of course creates direct competition to the market place sellers like you and me. And the percentages that they take can range up to almost 30% on lower priced items. There is no human you can ever find to discuss any issue. It is all run by AI. In fact, it you allow them, they will price your items for you using AI. Somehow I don’t see me beading late at night to have an artificial intelligence algorithm decide the price of my handmade creations.
The biggest drawback to Amazon is you do NOT own the customer. There is no legit way to contact them, send them your newsletters. You are not allowed to put anything in the shipment directing them to you. The customer can send you a message, can select from a rather short list of reasons why they are returning the goods. Usually they just choose something. So you never get the use your good customer service skills to remedy an issue… You can also thank AI for this.
And Amazon it arbitrary is selling any dispute. As a seller you are simply screwed.
Recently I had a product on Amazon, handmade Murano Glass and suddenly the photo was for an entirely different product…a computer card reader for a computer. I did not put the photo on Amazon, nor could I delete it. It simply said that because multiple vendors were selling my handmade (NOT) piece they chose the best photo (NOT). And threatened my account because they said it violated copyright laws???? Excuse me! For several weeks we went round and round. Amazon simply couldn’t resolve it.
I did! I deleted the product and closed my account for selling on Amazon. We used Amazon just as a way to get in front of new browsing customers. We always wanted them right here on our website where we can help them find what they need.
Ebay Remember when Ebay was actually a viable market place? Oh that was so last Century ;>)Now it seems to be full of imports, knock-offs who gleefully stuff the listing with terms like Murano Glass, Millefiori, Venetian when in reality it is Chinese glass or Indian Glass.
I just had an Indian supplier contact me to say they could sell me Murano Glass Beads hahahahaha!
Don’t get me wrong, both the Chinese and the Indians have a long wonderful history of glass beads. BUT, it is NOT Murano Glass. I am pretty sure not one of them will pay the prices for Effetre Moretti Glass, the shipping, the customs duties which you must pay to have actual Murano Glass. What they probably mean (and I am giving them the benefit of the doubt) is that they use 104 COE glass???? My response to their emails is that they have a amazing culture, make things from their heredity instead of copying from the Venetians.
What’s Your Point? Now if you are wondering the point of my wanderings here….probably not anything more than me ranting and raving and getting it off my chest.
But we’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

The Wisdom of Seth

This morning an article by Seth http://www.sethgodin.com appeared in my inbox. I subscribe to his witty, often point-on short saying or articles.
Todays’ was a reflection of what happens daily. So here is what he said, I take his “back in the old days” to mean pre COVID “
“I hate this restaurant” Back in the old days, I took someone to a local Italian restaurant for dinner. As we looked over the menu, complete with regional specialties and handmade pastas, he started to sulk. With a sullen look, he said, “I want a hamburger and french fries.” Somehow, the patient kitchen staff figured out how to produce this out of thin air, and a tantrum was narrowly averted.
But I’ve been thinking about that interaction a lot. In his mind, “restaurant” meant, “a place where I can get a hamburger and french fries.”
If you look at many 1 star reviews (of books, of music, of restaurants of shops) this is precisely what you’re going to see.
A mismatch of expectations. A mismatch that is blamed, completely, on the person who created the work, not the critic. It doesn’t matter that the thing was clearly marked. It doesn’t matter that the thing was extraordinarily well-produced. And it doesn’t matter if just about everyone else experiencing it was thoroughly delighted.
Because for this spoiled, under-informed and impatient patron, it failed. This failure comes from a few contributing factors, all amplified by our culture: First, you can’t know if you’re going to like an experience until you experience it. All you know is your understanding of what was on offer. And because there are so many choices and there’s so much noise, we rarely take the time to actually read the label, or we get carried away by the coming attractions, or we just don’t care enough to pay attention until we’re already involved. [And marketers are complicit, because in the face of too much noise, they hype what’s on offer and overpromise…]
Second, because many people are afraid. They’re afraid of the new and even more than that, afraid of change. Most people in our culture would like to be entertained not transformed, lectured at instead of learning.
Third, the double-edged sword of giving everyone a microphone means that we’ve amplified the voices of dissent at the same time we’ve given people a chance to speak up about their desires.
This means that mass culture is far more divisive than it ever was before, and it also means that bubbles of interest are more likely to be served.
And so the fork in the road:

You can either turn your operation into a cross between McDonald’s and Disney, selling the regular kind, pandering to the middle, putting everything in exactly the category they hoped for and challenging no expectations… Or you can do the incredibly hard work of transgressing genres, challenging expectations and seeking out the few people who want to experience something that matters, instead of something that’s merely safe.”
WOW So much to unpack, but so true.
Have you ever noticed that only the people who are unhappy actually post reviews on that unmentionable website that pretends to rate everything? (Unmentionable because I will not give them more air.) But pondering on Seth’s post, is it because they had different expectations? Did the value in their mind not match what they ordered? And that is exactly what Seth says. And every website sends you immediately a link to review every item, whether it is a toothpick or a car!
And as merchants and jewelry designers, we all fall victim to wanting those incredible reviews, yet subjecting ourselves to those people who are unhappy or having a bad day or were clueless as to what they really wanted. Or in our case can’t understand that handmade means NO Two are Ever Alike, PERIOD.
And this was so timely as one of my neighbors in our warehouse complex wanted to see our warehouse location/SKU system. They sell on Amazon much larger items than our small jewelry components, but for anyone making picking/packing easier and preventing errors is always an interest.
As they were looking at some of our racks and racks of beads, findings, crystals, they asked Why? Why what?
Why Venetian Beads, don’t we know that we could buy beads from China for much less? I could see the math going on in his head, we could buy pounds of “similar” beads for at least 1/10 the price…..and supposedly our customers would be just as anxious to buy them.
….NOT
So picture this: Two Chinese men! and me trying to explain that we aren’t really selling beads so much as we are selling a story, a romance of a beautiful culture and handmade (yes lovingly because they love the artform, the story of Venice glass artists are that way). And that there is a story behind every bead we have, a family, and that I can look at a bead anywhere and know who made it, who made the tools, who made the glass canes and the millefiori.
And for the final, not to deter from the rich history of China, it is just my personal choice. Or as I say often #whyiwork
Venice is where I want to be at the end of any day….and BTW #whyisellMuranoGlass

5 ways you can make use of the leftover beads

Only a bead stringer would understand how difficult it is to complete a bead work without leftovers. How many times have you added beads to your bead soup stash? You don’t want to dispose of them, but you aren’t sure what to do with them.

Did you know that with little effort you can turn leftover beads into a piece of different jewellery or craft altogether? Yeah, you wouldn’t have to tuck them away hoping that you could use them one day.

In this article, we have compiled a list of unique crafts & pieces of jewellery that you can make with your stash of leftover beads:

#1 Make Bead Bottle Crafts

If you have a pile of leftover beads, you should think about making Bead Bottle Crafts. But yeah, you would have to spend some time to sort the beads based on their colour. Once you are done with the sorting, get a transparent glass bottle and start pouring the beads in layers into the bottle. You can play with the thickness of each layer & colour combinations until you are left with a beautiful design.

#2 Create Ornaments

Yeah, you heard it right. Leftover beads make excellent materials for pendants, earrings & bracelets.

Make a Pendant

Did you know that you can make excellent pendants for necklaces from leftover beads? All that you need is a headpin and a round chain nose plier.
Get a skinny head pin with a thickness that’s enough for the beads to string. Pick the beads that you want to make a pendant with and string them on to the headpin. Make sure that the bead in the bottom is fixed against the head of the pin. Using a round chain nose plier make a wire loop over the pendant.

Make Earrings

Custom made & designed earrings from leftover beads are an excellent gift option to your friends or family. Choose the best beads from your stash and whip up a great pair in no time.
If you are into the jewellery business, you can even add these earrings as a complimentary gift with each purchase. Your customers would love it and it won’t cost you much.

Make Bracelets

Not just earrings, bracelets from leftover beads to make a piece of fabulous jewellery that you can wear. All that you need is a stretch cord, embroidery scissor, bead stopper, some glue and beading needles.

Cut a length of a chord that’s 4 inches more than the desired bracelet length. Fix a bead stopper 4 inches from one end of the chord.
String the beads from your stash onto the elastic cord. Make sure that you check the length of the bracelet. You don’t want it to be too tight or too loose. Also, ensure that the last bead you string has a hole large enough to hide a knot in your beading cord.
Hold the beards away from the knot and use a drop of glue to secure the knot. Use embroidery scissors to trim the end close to the knot.

Making pieces of jewellery with leftover beads is a lot easier, if you have the right tools for the job.

Get the right tools for bead projects

How to identify the right tools for bead projects?

#3 Make Some Garden & Home Décor Products

If you haven’t thought of it, leaf over beads makes excellent home décor products. With little patience and the right tools, you can add beauty to a lot of things in your home. For instance, if you have leftover glass beads, you can make bead curtains out of it. There are a lot of tutorials that are available online. As said, all you need is patience.

Else you can also make small home décor products like beaded pots for indoor plants or beaded napkin rings. Look around, and you can see a thousand options.

Making a Napkin Ring

Napkin rings are an excellent home décor item. All you need is 18-gauge wire, a wire cutter, leftover beads & a plier. Cut approximately 20 inches of wire and make a small ring in one end to prevent the beads from falling. String the beads onto the wire in any pattern that you want to. Once you are done with it, make a small ring on the other end too.
Wind this beaded wire around a glue box or any cylindrical bottle and your napkin ring is ready!

Beaded Wind Chimes

Wind chimes are always a thing of beauty. Did you know that you can make a beaded wind chime with some leftover beads, thread, and an old coffee container? Yeah, it’s easier than you imagined. Simply make a bead chain with leftover beads & some fishing line. It would be great if you can string some seashells, clay models or glass beads to it.

Once you are done, secure it to a hanging pot in your garden, tree branches, windows or anywhere you choose to.

#4 Prepare a Bead Repair Kit

Finding the right spare for repair is a nightmare for bead workers. you never know when you might have to repair a broken bead from a piece of jewellery. Though spares are available in the market, you wouldn’t want to buy a whole tube or string of beads when you probably just need a few.

This is where a bead repair kit comes in handy. You can keep a few leftovers after every project in a container and label them. So that the next time you need a spare, you would know where to check for it.

#5 Donate the leftover beads or conduct workshops

If you have a lot of leftover beads, you can think about donating them to art classes or schools. Else, you can even conduct a one-day art workshop for kids who are interested in beadwork.

To Sum Up

These are some of the ideas on what to do with leftover beads. Remember that beads are highly versatile, and there is a lot you can do with them!

You can also visit our website for more information on beads and bead crafts.

Murano an Island in Crisis

Today Murano is again in crisis due partially to the COVID19 shutdown and the lack of tourists since Italy is allowing the citizens of only a handful of countries easy entry. The crisis was already in progress due to the competition of inexpensive glass from other sources which you can find when you walk along the small streets in Murano and Venice. Clearly this is in direct opposition to rules enacted by the Counsel of Venice in 1271 prohibiting the importation of glass from other countries into Venice as well as prohibiting foreign glassworkers from working in Venice. And 20 years later, they moved all furnaces (except for Orsini which still operates in Venice but makes only mosaics) to Murano a secluded group of islands.

Glass Cooling in the Annealing Oven in MuranoTOUCH TIMESBut tough times are not new to Murano. Among the events that threatened the livelihood of Murano was the very Muranese themselves who left and took their knowledge to other countries in Europe in the 1500s. This gave birth to the Bohemian crystals in direct competition of Murano. It was not until the 1700s when Murano became famous for its chandeliers that they enjoyed some prosperity. This was short-lived with the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797. The Napoleon decree of 1806 the abolishing of all schools of arts and crafts which brought the glass making industry of Murano to a halt.
Subsequently Napoleon ceded the Veneto (the area of Venice and surroundings) to the the Hapsburgs of Austria in the Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797. Favoring their own glass workers, the Austrians placed heavy duties on both the exportation of glass as well as the importation of the raw materials needed to make glass. Nearly half of the glass factories closed during the Hapsburg era, and those that remained were only beads and bottles. The glass industry of Venice/Murano received a boost from Antonio Salviati, a Venetian lawyer who gave up his profession in 1859 to run a furnace and his marketing skills and the creations of glass gave rise to an era of prosperity.
Then came World War I and World War II which ravaged the islands by sending the men of the furnaces off to fight. Many of today’s aging maestro went to work at 9-10 years old in the remaining furnaces to help support their families.

Tools of the Trade
COVID19 ShutdownNow COVID19 has created another crisis and tragedy in Murano and Venice. Without the tourism (a love/hate relationship) there is no market for the glass. The cost of operating a furnace is astronomical especially the cost of the gas to maintain the temperature of the molten glass. You can’t simply turn off the light switch as you walk out the door. The glass has to stay in a molten state or it will break the crucible (pot) which holds it.
One in Two Glass Workers Unemployed July 2020
Today it is reported by Confartigianato (organization that promotes the craft) that one in two glass workers in Murano are on unemployment and remain at home. In July 85% of the companies had workers applying for the unemployment. It is slightly improved in the days since the August holiday dropping to 74%. But for those truly passionate glass workers (both artistic and production) they see hope. But they do need support from the Italian government and of course from all us Murano glass lovers….every. But they are not without hope and the Venice Glass Week went on without all of us who would so love being there. They even set up a “floating furnace” on a boat demonstrating all over Venice.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/e02_GMNwc6c

If you want to get a glimpse of the passion the workers share, watch this film from Zuecca Project and is called “Man in the Glass”. It is in Italian, but there are English subtitles. Click on the Image below to watch.

For me, this is the heart of #whyiwork.

Designing Murano Glass Beads

Customers sometimes think there is a giant warehouse in Venice/Murano stocked with the thousands of beads we sell. Well that would be fun, but it is not how it happens. Each bead we sell is ordered specifying color, foils, designs, shapes, sizes and then handmade one by one.
Since 1993, we have learned a lot about making Murano Glass Beads, especially what we can and can’t do. The laws of physics have a lot to do with our possibilities as does the skill of our beadmakers, the material limitations and above all the flight of fantasy of ideas. The Muranese and Venetians have no limitation on inspiration and ideas. When we had a company copy our beads having them made in China, one of our bead makers, said “Don’t worry, I have a lot of ideas and I will make new designs.” And he did just that!

All our bead share one thing in common. They are all Effetre (what is known as Moretti 104) glass canes. These canes are produced at the factory in Murano. They are sold around the world. We all use a common “language” that is the number that Effetre assigns to the canes. And every bead makers knows that the 104 canes are compatible (well sort of – because mixing the opaque with the transparent can be tricky). Our bead makers just get to walk or take a boat over and buy them. I get to tag along sometimes if I am lucky.
For all the beads, except the blown, hollow beads, we almost always use a tool because we need them to be sort of similar in size and shape. Having said that, no two will ever be the same. But we do have some basic starting points. From there, it is the artistic ability and fantasy that give us the beads.

Our standard rounds, squares, cubes in single colors, or single colors over 24kt Gold Foil, or .925 Sterling Silver or White Gold the same from each bead maker. However, if you show me a bead, I can tell you who made it, because each bead maker uses their own particular tools. These tools are made for us by Roberto Donà, who is known the world over for the quality of his tools, not only for bead making, but the big blow pipes, giant scissors that are used in the furnaces. He makes each tools according to the specifications of the person using it. He does have some stock of “standard” tools. And most bead makers around the world would jump at the chance to see his machine shop. Fortunately, I see it often. He even modifies tools I find in the US like our Crocus or our Vela Squares for the way we work there. He is a huge part of our bead making.
So the forms you see here are sort of our blank canvass. What to do then?
We use foils, gold, silver and white gold as well as avventurina (a Murano exclusive as a patent is held by the same family for hundreds of years) and layers of glass, much like a painter would mix paints on his palette, just that our palette is at about 1733 degrees! The beads are painstakingly made one by one at these temperatures. While working the glass, it is all one color – red!

There are so many variations possible, we have made bead cards which both our bead makers and us keep to make ordering a little more simple.

Usually, I begin with a shape and then the color and decoration. The beads are painstakingly made one by one at temperatures around 1733 degrees. We decide the decorations together with the bead maker. And sometimes the bead card is just me gluing beads and writing down the colors. It is so much easier now than it was before technology. Now since they are +9 hours from me. I can send an idea to them before I go to bed and the next morning, they will have made a sample and we can proceed. Before, well we just guessed and faxed sketches….in black and white!

Some of you may recognize our SP13 Caramella line. We went slightly crazy, or maybe we drove our bead maker slightly crazy when we came up with this idea. This line is a mixture of several colors to and even though we write down the colors, each time we make them, they turn out a little difference because each bead maker puts their own interpretations on the bead. A little more of the underlying layer and less of our transparent over coat and we get a darker color. For some of our bead makers, it is what we write down at the kitchen table. I try to take exacting notes so we can re-order. And sometimes I get it right! Other times, well that is where our orphans originate.

Bead and Button Magazine and Show Calls It Quits

The news arrived unexpectedly a short email notice that Bead and Button, the beloved magazine is closing. No one in the industry had heard whispers of this. I quizzed everyone! But alas it was a “corporate” decision that “things are not as lucrative as they once were”. October will be their last issue and of course our last advertisement. We have advertised in the magazine since 1998, so a good 20+ years. It was our first advertisement buy and in those days, it was all about beading. And it was always a good investment.
The Bead and Button Show was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in June of each year. We exhibited in the show only one year. It was difficult to get an invite and it conflicted with other business. But in 2013, we made the cut! Usually we ship by truck to shows, but the Bead and Button Show was back to back to a show in Las Vegas, so our only solution was to drive 800 pounds of beautiful Murano Glass Beads from Las Vegas to Milwaukee….A real road trip.

The show was amazing. We had exhibited at Tuscon for years, but there was a much more intimate feeling to Bead and Button as it was all under one roof, everyone was into beading and there were millions of classes. It was like a family reunion. And the sheer number of beads was exhausting.
I can’t question the thought process of the owners of the magazine and show (well actually I can). It appears that the decision stems from the same thing I see at every show. I keep saying we got to get some younger friends. And that the number of advertisers was decreasing as were the number of participants at the shows. I just wish some really innovative people had found a way to keep the magazine going and of course the show because I still believe there is a place for them both. Because there are many shows, and some may say too many. But the quality of this show, the teachers at the show were in a class of its own.
Bead and Button appreciated its advertisers and the people who wrote articles. Each year at Tucson for years they hosted a night to celebrate with their advertisers. For many years it was in the local museum.
And if the COVID19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is that everyone needs a hobby, something you can do with your hand, something creative! to stay sane!
You can read the article written in the Craft Industry Allicance which quotes Dan Hickey, CEO of Kalmbach Media. You can draw your own conclusion. (Click Here)
Now I am sorry I threw out all those old issues when we made our last warehouse move.
And I wish we could have had a Farewell Party! Best wishes to everyone there in their future careers.

Make the Fall 2026 Colors Your Own

Share this:

A Visit to Homo Faber: The Spark of Creativity

An Invitation to Create

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

#1 Make Bead Bottle Crafts

#2 Create Ornaments

Make a Pendant

Make Earrings

Make Bracelets

#3 Make Some Garden & Home Décor Products

#4 Prepare a Bead Repair Kit

#5 Donate the leftover beads or conduct workshops

To Sum Up

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: