Well a few years ago we quit doing shows. The travel, shipping 800-1200 pounds of beads to far away places and night flights had lost their appeal.
Setting Up Day ! Just tables and space.
But this weekend, we did our first show. It was very close, only 2 miles from our shop. If we had a lot of time to think about it, we might have talked ourselves out of doing the show. But we were offered a booth 3 days before the show opened.
We packed up some 70 trays of Venetian Beads, leaving our warehouse intact for shipping our online orders.
Trays, Bar Codes, Computer? Check!
Jocelyn and Melanie took turns working the show, a first for both of them. And the the first time we have seen the faces of many of our customers who usually order online. Setting up was like ‘old home week, so many of the vendors are still there, many whom we have known for 20 years. We all just look a little older.
Jocelyn ready to Open
Thanks to all our customers who stopped by, some who had been our customers since we started in our garage in 1993! We enjoyed seeing everyone and meeting new faces.
And Melanie whom many of you know from the cheerful voice on our phone.
Melanie Ready for Opening
And the next generation of bead show workers, our very own Marcella, whom many of you know as our ‘CellaBella who has really been working here since she was 2 and would pick her favorite beads every day. In those days she could only reach 2 drawers up so she had no idea what else was here. Now she can process your order!
The lovely ‘CellaBella
Thanks to all of you! And maybe we’ll do another one in the future. Just don’t look for us in New York just yet!
If you couldn’t make it, you can still buy all these beautiful beads at VenetianBeadShop
Our beads all take a similar path arriving here to have photography made, get names, assign Product Codes and finally to you.
A Peek Inside the Effetre Factory
We begin with the famous Effetre glass canes which are produced on the island of Murano in much the same fashion as hundreds of years ago. The Effetre factory is a secretive place and only a couple of times have I been allowed to have a camera inside. Few people are allowed inside, and I am always with a bead maker when we are selecting canes. Canes are sold in 10 kilo bundles, so locals expect to make a lot of beads! (There are a couple of “retailers” on the island who sell to some of the smaller artisans, at a higher price of course.)
Bundles of Effetre Canes
The making of the canes is difficut task, but the real super stars of our beads are our dedicated bead makers who work in constantly staring into the flame, knowing exactly the right moment to wrap the molten glass around the mandrel. It takes a certain feel of the glass, knowing how the glass looks – when it is all glowing red. And did I say, you need to be able to turn the mandrel with one hand in one direction while controlling the flow of the molten glass with the other hand, a little like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time.
Bead makers View
They work with few tools, certainly not delicate tools, the most important one is simply gravity. The few tools help with the shaping.
Pinchers – Forms
When making rounds, you need only gravity and these little forms which they use to center the roundness of the mass of molten glass around the copper mandrel. Easier said than done. Work too long and the glass becomes to hard to move.
Copper Mandrels and Forms for Rounds
The side view of the classic Murano/Venetian glass torch, known as a canello. The small tray to the side of the torch holds fritte, small polverized glass, which will be used to decorate the bead.
Torch from the Side View
When the day is done, and the beads have cooled for several hours, a helper cuts the excess of the soft copper mandrel off and they go into these sieve baskets and are put in the acid machine where the acid eats the copper mandrel from the bead, leaving the holes.
Beads Going to the Acid Machine
The beads are dried (or not) sometimes our bead makers are rushing and the beads arrive to us still slightly damp.
The last step is equally important, the boat that goes around the island picking up shipments. We need a strong partner who can get the shipments from the islands to the airport in Venice. From there they take varied routes to the US, where we start our part of this journey, making photos, assigning numbers, and finally when you choose them another trip through one of our shipping partners.
Whew, I am a little exhausted just thinking how difficult it is to get a 8mm Gold Foil bead to you!
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 for way less than half the price”
Another facebook reader said “regardez le travail des vrais perliers vous verrez tout de suite la difference !!” Look the work of real beads you can see immediately the difference. (Translation)
Having worked for over 2 decades with our beadmakers and glass blowers in Venice and Murano and having invested millions in the development of our bead store, our designs and our wonderful bead makers, I am a bit offended by the comments.
I do, however, agree with our French friend. When you see our beads, alongside the Chinese or Indian you will see the brilliance of the Murano Glass immediately distinguishes it. It all starts with the canes, produced in Murano by hand in the traditions of hundreds of years. Often imitated, but never quite the same.
So once again – Why Buy Venetian?
New designers are searching for their niche. Sometimes they fall in love with Swarovski, but it is everywhere and hard to make a name for yourself with such a ubiquitous commodity; and in the words of Brenda “an accent” bead! Though we do admit they compliment our Murano Glass.
They are made by machine, cut by machine and their very sameness is their appeal. Our beads however are NEVER the same! So much depends on the canes, the fire, the humidity, indeed the mental attitude of our bead makers. And when you order 2 beads, we handpick to match those two beads for you!
And let’s face it no one ever advertised that they have “Chinese Beads” and even Czech while again available everywhere, simply doesn’t carry the allure or romance of Venetian Beads. Tthough they were not the first in the world to make beads, the Venetians have certainly influenced the design and production of beads since about the 10th Century. It is also fascinating that women have always been a dominate force in Venetian Beads. While they were not welcomed into the furnaces the lamp workers have always included talented and very business savy women of both Venice and Murano.
Let’s remember that Marco Polo traveled to China taking beads! Remember that Manhattan was purchased with beads! Venetian Beads were the currency in Africa, known as Trade Beads. And we still make them pretty much the same way as then. Now that’s something to talk about with your customers or to tell your friends when you they ask you about the jewelry you are wearing.
Having Venetian Beads in your design gives you a story to tell. When you are at that hot and dusty Craft Fair, the sparkle under the sunlight will bring your customers in and your ability to weave the history of Venice will help you sell your jewelry. It sets you apart as a jewelry maker who appreciates the quality and the history. Wear it to the country club or your daughter’s softball game. It’s a fit everywhere.
We try to give you a little of the story behind the beads, behind our sterling silver and the trials and tribulations of daily life in Venice. Use the resources on our website to learn more about Venice and you’ll be able to talk to your customers, or just tell your friends why you chose Venetian Beads. No two beads are ever exactly alike, each is a small work of art born in the flames.
And if you ask me, I will just say I never was interested in any beads other than Venetian. I fell in love with the glass and working with the bead makers is a way for me to be a small part of the story of Murano Glass.
Here are some resources on our website that can help you understand our beads:
Since the Colors of the Year were announced by Pantone, we’ve been trying to create some designs which feature our authentic Murano Glass Beads. And I was having a bit of difficulty with the colors. Then at a girl’s softball practice, there they were – and created by nature for all of us to see.
A beautiful setting sun which was shining through our normal San Francisco Bay fog produced exactly the colors. I apologize if my photography doesn’t get it just right. But sitting in the bleachers watching practice, the colors in the sky, simply stunning and even Serene!
Rose Quartz and Serenity on the SoftBall Field!
Without that sunset, I would still be struggling to see how these colors go together. I was thinking “baby shower” pink and blue. So back to the design desk – with new inspiration and appreciation for the knowledge of those talented people at Pantone!
Here’s a couple of designs we came up. They are free and each one has instructions as well as the list of components required.
Free Design, Make These Earrings
We’d love to see your designs with these colors. You can send to info@venetianbeadshop.com
One of our favorite Fusion laboratories is pretty much a one-man show. He is young, very precise and very energetic. Fusion is a lot like baking cookies. You cut the dough, you cook the dough and you decorate. Only it takes skill and patience, diamond saws, lost of dust and you best be careful.
The glass arrives from the furnace in Murano in large square sheets, which must be cut into workable pieces. Each piece goes through at least two firings. So if you have ever worked in ceramic, you will have an idea of the process.
Fused Sheets Ready to Cut
These sheets neatly arranged have already been through the first step. They are now ready to cut into shapes and slump if needed. Don’t you love how they are so organized. This is one of the wonderful things about this facility.
Sawing and Sanding are Two Important Steps
Sawing and Sanding are two important, if dirty, dusty steps in getting the perfect pendant. His careful attention to these assure us of great quality Murano Glass Pendants.
Murano Glass Fused Pendants and More Kilns
These kilns are used in the first step and you can see some pendants in process on the table. The decorations (colors, millefiori, gold and silver) are done in sandwich style on a base layer of Murano glass. Frit, small pieces of glass, add color as do the millefiori. After this first step the sheets will be ready for cutting and the second step.
Moulds for Plates Ready in the Kiln
With glass we are taking to the melting point so that the small pieces fuse together. This is done as a flat sheet. Here you see a kiln prepared for the 2nd firing, called slumping in English. This firing only heats just before the melting point, staying at this range until the glass relaxes into the shapes. Then it is cooled very slowly, called annealing. Behind you see stacks of moulds for other shapes.
The world of Glass in Murano and Venice requires many different skills and equipment but always at the heart is the beautiful Murano Glass.
You can shop for these hand crafted Murano Glass Pendants on our webstore: VenetianBeadShop
One of our suppliers in Venice came up with a clever way to use the broken beads for the holiday season, which send me right out to collect a box of broken beads and get started.
Base of Stryofoam
A quick trip to a craft store for the cone and some pins with colored balls on the end got me started. Then is was only the selection of beads, of which we have a large quantity. Let me know if you want to buy some broken beads ;>)
I put the larger beads at the bottom and graduated upwards. Since I absolutely prefer asymmetrical, I never gave a throught to pattern, unlike the one sent to me from Venice. Since I wasn’t going to break any beads to use, I didn’t have as many red as I might have liked.
Venetian Bead Christmas Tree
I put a couple of our “hurt” bears along side the tree. They look perfectly happy to be by the tree, even missing an arm. You could use beads that are not broken and just remove them after the holidays. It would be a fun project for the youngsters (as long as they are safe with the pins). If you wanted to leave it as it, then using a glue gun would be your best bet.
I have been a member of ISGB (International Society of Glass Beads) for about 15 years and GAS (Glass Art Society) equally as long. So I was a little taken back when I received a pamphlet at the GAS conference here in San Jose, CA (where I spent 3 days volunteering) called “How to Buy Glass Beads – A Shopper’s Guide to Finding Quality Art Glass Beads” which is a real “looking down the nose” at those of us who produce more than 5 beads a week.
OK, so you can see I am not making this up, I just scanned it in so everyone can read – (hopefully not our bead makers who would be terribly offended!)
And inside it continues…
The prices of the factory-made beads are often “too good to be true”. We work very hard to keep prices down and deal with not only fluctuations in the Euro but also in precious metals pricing.
Another sign of factory-made beads is quantity – the fact that our bead makers show up every day and make beads is a penalty?
Is the work “professionally” displayed (This means 5 beads of in a plate of rice?)
Quality and Techniques used for centuries in Murano are not “real” EXCUSE ME? Where do you think ISGB beadmakers learned?
Ask the seller to tell you the name of who made bead: Yes, really I am going to reveal my beadmakers whom I have cultivated, spend millions – YES, and 20 years of my life to develop.
PLEASE, the Venetians and Muranese have been doing this since the 800s and before. Recent discoveries in Altino digs have uncovered murrine (millefiori) from the 1st Century AD. Altino was destroyed in 452 AD by Attila forcing its people into the islands we now know as Venice.
American “artists” came along only few years ago. The fact that our wonderful bead makers support themselves, raise families, send their children to college, buy homes (and YES they can make quantity) only adds to their status as artists. Most of the beads these so called “ISGB artist” make have origins in Venetian Beads.
Quantity is really just a matter of how hard you work – NOT a definition of “Art”.
For example the Chevron Bead in the brochure that you see above – no artistic work there, just copycat of Venetian and from even earlier bead makers.The development is absolutely Murano in the late 1400s as documented in The History of Beads by Lois Sherr Dublin, the “bible” of beads, ISBN 0-8109-2617-2. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of beads around the world.
The History of Beads!
Among my bead makers, I count
One who owned his own Murano Glass furnace – until his wife making beads became so successful he closed the furnace and now works for her.
A maestro who worked at Venini (Murano Glass Furnace) – have you seen their pieces? I dare you to say he is not an artist!
One who began as an apprentice in a furnace at 12 years old, and has raised 2 daughters making beads in his home.
One who began as an apprentice at 13 in the Seguso Murano Glass Furnace under the famed Archimede Seguso, who was a truly demanding Maestro.
One who is a 3rd generation Venetian bead maker – bead cards from his family are in museums around the world.
One who learned from her mother, who worked in one of those “factories” and is considered the Queen of the Fiorato bead in Venice and Murano.
A maestro in a Murano Glass furnace who invented machines so he could produce blown beads easier (and in quantity) :>)
And many more! And I count them all my friends and respect their work!
They will work day and night, weekends to produce the beads we need.
I find it very interesting that any glassblower, Chihuly included, will acknowledge immediately that Murano is the cradle of glass blowing and respects their Maestri. Yet ISGB somehow believes they invented bead making.
Might I remind them that the Doge of Venice gave the right to make beads to the crafts people Venice in a decree in 1291 when the furnaces moved to Murano? And that the “union” of beadmakers in Venice and Murano dates back to 1308 when the State Inquisition organized the beadmakers into a Guild “Arte de’Margariteri” while the ISGB is a mere baby having been formed in 1993.
Incidentally that is the same year we began importing VenetianBeadShop.com began importing beads from Venice and Murano.
Time Line of Beads from 30,000 BC to Present – Note ISGB a newcomer in 1991!
Here are what our canes look like before they are ground to make either the chevrons or we also use in our Chevron Blown Beads
This is a question we get often, especially from new beaders who have just been their first bead show. Are all Venetian Beads are annealed. She had heard that annealing makes the beads stronger. What is annealing?
The word comes from the metallurgy and materials science where it has long been recognized it increases the metals ductility and makes it more workable to heat above its critical temperature and then to cool which also relieves the internal stress of the metal. In glass, it is about mainting the glass at a constant temperature, known as soaking at the annealing point where the glass is too cold to continue working, but will continue to relax, so that the entire piece can gradually cool at the same rate. If the glass were left in the open, you can easily see that the outside would cool faster than the inside. Annealing keeps the temperature constant throughout the bead.
Above is a large muffola in a production furnace. Each piece of blown glass is placed in an oven which is temperature controlled to be sure all the glass is the same temperature and then to cool the mouth blown pieces slowly. In older days before temperature control and when they still used wood for the heating, the person who was in charge of this was called “uomo di notte” and his job was to stay all night and watch the process as well as prepare the glass for the next days work.
For centuries, the Venetians have annealed by:
1) flash annealed, where the bead is put back into the flame one final time to heat the bead to a consistent temperature and
2) slowly cooled the bead in a container of silica which helps hold the temperature. In older days, the Venetians used the sand from the lagoon which is called “fango” in Italian and was also used for the “bead release”. Today the world uses vermiculite for this process. Vermiculite is a mineral similar to mica which is fire proof.
Flash Annealing
The stresses set up in the bead have a lot to do with the amount of time it takes to make the bead, the decorations, etc and frankly the skill level of the bead maker. In our small beads, they are made rather quickly and there is very little value of annealing other than by use of the vermiculite. You can see the beads still on the mandrels and they are submerged into the vermiculite during the production day.
For our larger, obviously more complex beads we do use an annealing oven – called a muffola in Italian. For our Moretti glass, the annealing temperature is about 940F and it is important to keep them at this level and then bring down gradually. For our blown beads they are all annealed, here you see the small kiln beside the furnace.
Annealing Blown Beads
Annealing does not make the bead stronger, it insures that there are no stresses set up in the bead during the cooling cycle. Tempering makes the glass stronger – which is the process used for car windows, shatter-proof glass, etc. Below is a type of annealing oven, a kiln produced in the US specifically for beads, note that it has a place for individual beads. (We do not use one like this as we make many more beads than this would accommodate.)
Regardless of how beads are annealed, each of our beads are annealed, most in the classic Venetian method. And below you see a tray of Venetian Beads ready to make jewelry.
This is a question every new beader asks when they first encounter Venetian Beads. And then they ask, “What size wire should I use?”
Venetian Beads, Murano Beads
The most common size of holes of Murano Glass Beads is approximately 1mm. Approximate because they are most often made on 1mm diameter copper rods, which heats up and naturally expands. The glass wrapped around it expands as well, but when the glass and the copper cool, they both shrink. So we generally have a ~1mm hole and for larger beads, the mandrel will be larger as the mandrel must support the bead in the fire.
Copper Mandrels on our Venetian Dichroic Beads
We also make beads like our PerlaVita, European Large Hole Beads, Bimbi, our smaller European Large Hole Beads for Children, Duo and 2mm Rondelles which we developed for Leather and they each have different sizing. We make these on stainless steel rods using a bead release to keep the glass from sticking to the rods. Bead Release was used in Venice prior to the 1920s and was called “fango” meaning mud because it came from the lagoon. Bead Release is similar to kiln wash and contrary to popular believe it was not invented by Americans, but they did add graphite to it.
Stainless Steel Mandrels Ready for making PerlaVita Beads
So the short answer is that any wire which is less than 1mm can be used for Venetian Beads. The important issue is the weight of a bead. So larger beads from 16mm up through our 30 and 40mm beads will need a larger gauge wire. Venetian/Murano Beads will always be slightly abrasive around the edges. This is not a defect, simply how the beads are made.
Bracelets or Necklaces?
Bracelets will require a heavier gauge because bracelets are much more active and get more abuse than a necklace. Necklaces, especially those with Swarovski or small beads can be strung on a smaller gauge because they will not be subjected to as much stress.
Beadalon and SoftFlex
We carry wire from both Beadalon and SoftFlex, which are the standard setters in the beading industry. SoftFlex is produced in the US and much of Beadalon is also produced in the US, though they also import, each spool of wire will tell you the place of manufacture. Beadalon is part of a larger corporation which manufacturers fishing line. So your beading wire’s not-so-distant relative is fishing line! And probably the reason each line has a “pound” weight limit – so if you are fishing for really big fish, you need a heavier gauge line. If you are stringing large bead, you need a heavier gauge wire!
Strands of Wire
You will notice that both Beadalon and SoftFlex have different number of strands.The more strands in the wire, the more it can flex without breaking – and the more strands in the wire, the higher the pricing.
SoftFlex Label
The SoftFlex Label on the wire gives you a wealth of information, including recommendations for use of each type wire.The wire shown is 49 Strands with a 26 pounds test strength, and a diameter of .019 Inches which is .48mm. Since our Venetian Beads are generally 1mm holes, this is a good choice.
Calcedonia Murano Glass was developed in Murano during the mid fifteenth century. In the glossary of glass, written in Murano, Angelo Barovier is attributed with developing this polychrome glass in 1460. The secret of this glass was closely guarded and entirely lost when the Venetian Republic fell.
It was once again rediscovered by Lorenza Radi in 1856 but by the 20th Century none was in production. It is widely acknowledged that Loredano Rosin mastered this technique in the 1970s and his pieces are still on exhibit around the world and in private collections. His untimely death from a boating accident was a blow to the artist community.
Fortunately, his brother Dino Rosin has carried on the family tradition and has continued to perfect this glass in large and beautiful glass sculptures. You can often find Dino Rosin sculptures available at very hefty sums on ebay and in fine galleries everywhere, just search for the name, Dino Rosin. Today there are several well known masters who create sculptures in this unpredictable glass.
Rosin Glass Sculptures in San Marco Square
For all of us in the Venetian Bead world, we are fortunate that there is another furnace who produces (with proper begging) canes of this unpredictable glass which we can chop and use in beads. However, this is a difficult production and we can only get small quantities made – never knowing what color will arrive.
We all dream of the blues and aquas…and sometimes we get it. The amazing, never the same, colors are produced by adding silver nitrate to the glass and the colors are affected by the humidity, the heat, and factors we don’t understand. The glass begins as salt, soda, sand and minerals days before the glass master is ready to work. The recipes for glass depend on very accurate measuring and minerals of the highest quality.
Any small difference will result in color changes or in glass which does not react well in the flames when the beads are being made. It pops and cracks. The Calcedonia has a mind and life of its own, the colors can not be reproduced with any certainty. They continue to turn colors in the flames as the beads are made and even after the beads are in the annealing oven with the silver nitrate reacting to the heat.
Make these Earrings! Free Instructions
We must enjoy each batch of beads for what they are: unique little jewels!
