A Tribute to my Mentor in Murano

He was unbendable, determined, hard-headed and above all a family man. His love of glass was only surpassed by his love for Valeria, his wife. We met in San Francisco in the 90s through the Italian Trade Commission which sponsored a group of 20 or so furnaces from Murano who came to a small trade…

Basilica: Necklace, Bracelet and Earrings – Free Murano Glass Jewelry Designs

The Pink Basilica Necklace, Bracelet, and Earrings offer a tribute to Venetian artistry with Murano glass and gold foil. The necklace combines vibrant millefiori patterns with pink white gold rounds, while the bracelet’s lamp work squares exude opulence with 24kt gold foil. The earrings, adorned with millefiori slices, emanate elegance in a soft pink hue.

3 Days in Paradise – Venice

What to do if you have only 3 days in Venice, from the moment you arrive at the airport or the train station or Piazzale Roma. The tips I use to buy my vaporetto pass, book my visits to the Basilica San Marco (because no matter how many times I go to Venice, I always…

Murano Millefiori Bead Bracelet, Free Design

This bracelet features thin slices of Millefiori (thousand flowers) in pink and beige embedded into the molten glass are our bead maker creates the bead. The millefiori is placed over 24kt Gold Foil on a black background for a luxurious look. It is easy to make. Use our instructions to guide you and the parts…

Murano – Glass Island & Italy Magazine

We just wrote an article for Italy Magazine, the online magazine is a great source of news for Italy and what is going on. You can read the entire story here: https://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/brief-history-murano-glass-told-expert It is an online magazine that you can subscribe to for free and enjoy stories of all the regions of Italy, places to…

Blowing Glass – Looks Simple? Right?

Making Glass Blowing Look Simple Watching these guys makes it look like play. Watch as they make authentic mouthblown Murano Glasses. Glass blowing is teamwork, the Maestro (the one who sits at the bench) and his servente, basically anyone not sitting at the bench. In more complicated pieces there may be 4 or 5 who…

Ladies Day – Inventory Count

You are never too old to love Venetian Beads. We began as the “bubble” of COVID when our lovely ladies couldn’t go to mass, couldn’t go to Bingo, nor the hairdresser couldn’t go to any of the things that keep them “young”. And 3 years on, they still come to our beadshop every Wednesday afternoons…

Lampworking or Beadmaking?

This Corning Museum short clip gives you an idea of the origins of “lampworking”. It was exceedingly painstaking to make a bead, or small animals or fruit. This arduous effort is where we get the term lampwork. Even though today the torches are fueled by bottled gas which does not require a bellows or foot…

Murano, Gas Cost & You

The art of Murano Glass we all love is at severe risk. They had barely survived the crisis of COVID when they were required to close, confined to their homes and in fact many did not. Now the cost of gas has increased over 600% from .25 Euro per cubic meter to 1.27 Euro. This…

Why I Work-the beads, Venice, the people!

Today a customer who has been purchasing from us for sometime told me why she works. She works to make money to send her daughter to camp. Most of our customers aren’t huge businesses, but they are the backbone of all societies, the small business. The mom who works to be able to afford a…