This popular Venetian Bead is one of the first beads a bead maker is taught after they learn to make the aventurine beads. The process is similar but with white frit instead of aventurine. The heart made here begins with an aima (body) of clear Murano Glass and is then rolled into a bowl of white roughly ground Murano Glass (frit). As you can see here this heart begins as a gum drop shape which is then formed into the heart using the tools. The tools required to make this bead are few and the technique simple.
The small anima is rolled in the rough frit to give it the “clouds” appearance. A transparent color of Murano Glass encases the clouds.
It’s also easy here to see how the base bead could be formed into many different shapes.Google
The beginnings of almost every bead begins with a sfere (round). From there the decorations are added. The colors of Venice are so vibrant that it is easy here to go overboard. Every window is filled with the bright colors of the 24kt gold foil and necklaces heavy laden with Murano Glass Beads. the pendants are enormous. It is natural, they sell what they make. If you go to Florence you find a concentration of gold jewelry on the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno river. We have been working for sometime here in Venice. Part of every trip is window shopping for inspiration. It is always good to see that someone else here in Venice has a similar approach. Imagine our surprise when we saw similar beads to our new Sfumatura shades in the windows in San Marco, well I guess it is just confirmation that we have a good idea.
We went a bit overboard on these colors. You can see that we tried multiple colors and different sizes of decoration. We think they are all great, and difficult to choose. But we think the ones with Vinace (a deep purple) are the best. And we will have in the lentil, disc as shown, as well as rounds in several sizes. Later we will post pictures of new great mosaics we are designing. These we will use in our pendants and larger focal beads.
We are working on new color designs for the winter and spring. Somewhere in the design process we were inspired to design around the new Swarovski Blends, and as we began playing with the colors and shapes, an entire line began to form in our minds.And we just began to play with colors. What you see here are our initial designs, the final shapes are still in process. We knew that we wanted some organic shapes. Now we are also working on Murano Glass Bead rondelles which will match these, as we invision necklaces, bracelets and earrings. There are many more designs underway and we will be posting more. So tell us what you think about these. We began only with the natural colors of the glass, but decided to try some with silver and gold. Take a look at the Swarovski Blends to see how you can use these together. We named them Sfumatura which means “Shades” in English because the colors melt into clear and to the second color. We hope you’ll like these Murano Glass Beads in almost watercolor shades. Tell us what you think and which ones you like. Do you like the gold and center foil in the center or just the bicolors. Google
The birth of the Rosetta cane which is used to produce Chevrons owes its creation to a 14th century woman. The daughter of an even then famed Murano Glass Blower and furnace owner, Angelo Barovier. This is a family line which continues today in Murano. Maria Barovier was given an order of the Doge on 2 July 1487 granting her the right to produce these beads. The canes of course were produced in the furnace, but she began the cutting, grinding and finally polishing the beads. It is remarkable that the Venetian Republic recognized and supported women in this industry in the 15th Century. This, in fact, set the tone for the industry which became by and large a women’s job. Her secret was in part, heating over a fire using a padellla (frying pan) to restore the lustre to the beads, but the colors of the beads and the beauty as today, come from the production of the glass canes. So just how is the bead made?It all starts in the furnace with the blowers who produce a bubble in a bullet shape molten glass. The bubble is essential as the hollow space inside becomes the hole. This was a ingenious way to produce beads which could be strung, long before bead release was invented or before lampwork was in existence. Once the blower had the bubble, he then added a second layer of a different color which he then placed into a mould, which gives you the “stars” of the rosetta cane. The glass maker could add continuous layers of colors. It was then up to the beadmaker to grind away the outer layers of color to reveal as much or as little of the interior colors. The example above has 6 layers, and trade beads are discussed in the number of layers they have. Obviously the more layers, the more difficult both for the production of the Rosetta cane as well as for the grinding and polishing and therefore more expensive. In the centuries after this pioneer, the tonnage of chevrons, or African Trade Beads as they became known, which were shipped is unimaginable. They were also shipped to the US in the 15th through the 19th centuries to trade with the American native Indians. The rich bold colors used were created specifically for each market. Many red, white and blue came to the US, while the bolder greens, yellows often went to the African market as they were designed around tribal colors. It is not unusual today to see necklaces of this vintage worn in official ceremonies. View our collection available on line Murano Glass Chevron Beads.We have a limited supply as the canes from the earlier productions are diminishing each day. Using this same technique, our master of Murano Glass Blown beads fuses together millefiori canes, rolls them on a blow pipe and blows them. Then he carefully grinds this hollow beads to reveal the colors underneath. Today they are still widely collected, sold at bead shows and online. We are pleased to present the collection from Claudio. Reference: Perle di Vetro Veneziane, Una Lunga e Affascinante Storia, Giacomo De Carlo, 2013 Published in Venice. Google
Since its birth, Venice and La Serenissima have survived the invasion of the Ottomans, the French, the Spanish, the Popes, the Austrians (and I have probably left out a few), but the invasion of the giant ships may be the last straw. The weekend of 21 September saw an invasion of the giants in numbers never seen before. There was a massive jam in the canal of Giudecca, partially due to the “no grandi navi” protestors who even swam in the water to stop the monsters. For a time lapse video of the ships with a view of the Giudecca Canal looking towards San Marco, made and presented Ufficio Stampa del Comune di Venezia, Click here ! A record 12 ships were projected to be in port, with 11 confirmed arrivals. This represented 40,000 tourists who arrived in Venice. Remember that Venice proper. Along with other bus tours, independent tourist, the number surges to about 60,000 tourist per day. Consider that the population of Venice dropped below 60,000 population mark in 2009. There was even a protest at the airport, the ship crews await the arrival of the tourist to transport to the boats. A widely debated subject all around Venice, only those who stand to gain monetarily from these massive cruise ships are on that side. Shopkeepers, restaurants, Murano (they are removed from the scene of possible accidents). The consideration of the contribution to Venice economy is substantial, slightly less than 200 Million Euro, represent about 20% of Venice economy. The pro and con groups include Venessia.com; No grandi navi and Cruise Venice, obviously on the side of the ships and tourism. However even in Murano we have heated arguments pro and con at the dinner table. The words on everyone’s mouth is “Venezia e unica” (There is only one Venice.) And this is true. There are about 4 plans on the table at the moment to be considered in Rome later this year. In case you want my opinion, I think it entirely selfish that a small population of people who choose to travel on cruise ships should endanger this magnificent city for joy of these few to “view up close” San Marco. Some things should be saved, protected, for the good of all – not just a few. I am not against the cruise ships, only that they are not allowed to come near San Marco, which of course sacrifices the Giudecca Canal, but I suppose in all things there must be compromise. It is not unrealistic to ask the cruise industry to protect the very city that makes them money,.Google
Make this Swarovski designed bracelet in just a few minutes. The abundance of Swarovski Crystals makes a statement. For the free design instructions which you can download and print as well as a list of supplies, click on the picture or Click Here
It features the new Swarovski Blends of Crystal/Montana strung on memory wire.
The only tools you’ll need are cutters and a round nose plier to curl the end of the memory wire. We recommend using the stronger memory wire cutters when you work with memory wire and save your side cutters for the more delicate cuts.
Make it you own by working with a different set of colors. Add some charms from our fabulous TierraCast collection.
The origins of this boat date back to 1094, written in the records of the Doge Vitale Falier. Paintings and drawings from the late 1400s and early 1500s document their prevalence in society, though not as elaborate as the 1800s. Today there are approximately 500 gondola in Venice, all controlled by the society. This is a small number compared to the 10,000+ which were used in the late 1500s. Granted there was no vaporetto or taxi, so they were quite necessary. But a ride in one didn’t cost 150 Euro, either. Below is the Bacino Orseolo, Gondola Parking just off San Marco. It’s a great place to get pictures. It’s design is also of necessity, the ability to travel in shallow waters, and the ability to be controlled by one person using a single oar. These dictated the overall design, which has been more or less the same since the 1600s. The original gondola has a small enclosure, to keep the occupant hidden from the weather as well as the peering eyes around town. Initially they belonged only to the wealthy, as you must be able to afford not only the gondola, but the gondolier. (A bit like today!) One of the last private gondolas was that of Peggy Guggenheim. Winter or summer, almost every visitor wants to have this experience.
Little symbolizes Venice like the Gondola. The front of the gondola has the “rebbi”, which looks like teeth of metal. These represent the six sestiere (areas) of Venice. The tooth on the back of the rebbi represents the island of Giudecca. The gondolier (the guy who rows the boat, though today there is at least one woman gondolier) have their own union and the guild for the production of the gondola was written in 1607 the “mariegola” of the gondola builders. It contains the rules for the squero (the gondola companies). The builder is known as the squerarolo. The weight of the gondoliere is factor in the construction of a gondola. It requires 9 different types of wood and is still made without modern tools with the timbers still bent using fire. The Venetian Foot, rather than metric is used to measure because it is more exacting for producing the gondola.
If you want to have a gondola made, fortunately there are still a couple of firms who produce gondolas. It takes about 500-600 hours of work and the wood must be perfect and dried naturally in the open air for several years. And there’s still a demand for them, the Venetian Hotels in both Las Vegas and Macau have authentic gondolas. Check out D.co Tramontin & Figli, established in 1884. www.tramontingondole.itGoogle
Ca’ Rezzonico is a prominent Palazzo on the Grand Canal in Venice. With a rich history from 1649, it is probably best known today as the residence of Robert Browning, the poet who died there in 1889. Like all the Palazzo of Venice, they are lovely old ladies who have seen a lot of changes. Each time they have been bought or inherited the new owner would remodel, redecorate and reconfigure the rooms. It was commissioned in 1649 as the house of Filippo Bon who did not live to see the completion of his family home. With the demise of the older Bon, the family fell upon hard times and Giambattista Rezzonico purchased it, leaving us with the name even today, though it changed hands many times. It was completed over 100 years later in 1756, mostly according to the original designs. But as you may imagine, styles changed in the 100 years and the design was “updated” by the architect. It has many similarities with Ca’ Pesaro which also was designed by Baldassarre Longhena. Longhena is credited with the design of these two palazzo along with Chiesa (church) Santa Maria delle Salute. Giambattista Rezzonico was not a Venetian Noble, he did however have plenty of money and Venice needed to replenish their bank accounts after a war with Turkey. So always the practical, the Venetians dubbed him “Noble” and wrote his name in the Libro d’Oro (Golden Book) in exchange for a large donation to the Serene Republic (Venice). Obviously everyone accepted this form of rising to the top, proved in 1758 when Rezzonico’s son Carlo was elected Pope (Clement XIII) and when in the same year, his other son, Lodovico, married a true noble Venetian, the Marchese Faustina Savorgnan. Note the similarities to Ca’ Pesaro on the right. Sadly the Rezzonico family died without direct heirs in the early 1800s, and the palazzo became a first a Jesuit College but later claimed by another Venetian family the Pindemonte-Giovanelli family who sold all the furnishings of the palazzo, including many works of art leaving only the frescos. The palazzo was acquired by Count Ladislao Zelinsky who ultimately sold it to Robert Barrett Browning, the son of Robert Browning. Again it was sold, this time to another Count, Lionello von Hierschel de Minerbi who owned it until 1935, when, unfortunately he ran out of money as well. After this, the City of Venice took ownership to use as a museum of the 18th Century art collection which had overflowed the Correr Museum. Fortunately the city, through local and state funds as well as generous contributions from art patrons around the world, has been able to reconstruct the rooms which gives you a view of the luxuries of life in the Serene Republic. VenetianBeadShop’s Ca’ Rezzonico Necklace Pictured Above.Google
The discussions on how to best control the traffic in this narrowest stretch of the winding canal continue, in official meetings, between residents, and is rehashed daily in the newpapers. Vested interest abound on all sides, with no one wanting to give an centimeter (literally). And I can’t picture the Grand Canal without all these wonderful boats moving through. So as the debates continue, and time goes on, the less likely anything will change. When you live in a city where the water is your street and the boat is your mode of transportation, then you can understand how it’s difficult to change as well as how an accident can happen. However, to get a real sense of the traffic, watch the video made by a local, Manuel Vecchina, who made this video shortly after the accident. Watch Video: Traffic on the Canal And then he proceeded to itemize the traffic in the 10 hour period of the time lapse video:
1615 Times a Vaporetto stopped at the Rialto to drop off or pick up passengers
700 Taxis traveled under the Rialto Bridge
216 Transport boats delivered or picked up goods, laundry, merchandise, food, etc
209 Gondole went under the Rialto Bridge
168 Private boats, of all sizes
39 Alilaguna Airport Shuttles arrived and departed
18 Vaporetto “Bus dell’art”
13 Ambulances came through the area
17 Police Boats patrolled
2 Fire Boats
The film condenses 10 hours into 4 minutes, so the boats aren’t moving nearly as fast as it appears. In fact the speed is limited to about 5mph. Hope you’ll enjoy this glimpse of Venice.You might enjoy:Incident on the Grand CanalOur video of a trip on the Grand Canal.
