Murano Glass Beads - Venetian Bead Shop Blog

Chevron Murano Glass Beads

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. The Rosetta Cane Produced the Chevron, Trade Bead 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

Visiting Venice Update 2013

Update on Venice 2013: Visiting Venice is easier than ever, though more expensive than ever as the hotels have increased their room rates for the summer for the tourist season by as much as 36% according to a local source. To save some money, you can buy some tickets on line in advance. In addition to saving money, the benefit of buying on line is generally you can shop in your language and you save a lot of time avoiding the lines. Prepare Before Going:The web has some great sites on things to do and one we especially is:Venice Connected. The site is available in 6 languages, it gives you a wealth of information about visiting Venice, including such necessities as “Public Restrooms in Venice” and how they operate, where they are located, important information as Venice is a city with decades old toilet facilities. If you are not near these public facilities, most bars will have a toilet and for the cost of a drink, you can use it without being harassed or annoying the owners, though they may be small or even the occasional Turkish Toilet (where you stand on the footprints). Bars are everywhere, they are not bars in the American sense. They serve coffee, small sandwiches, and of course wine and other alcoholic beverages. Children can go into these ” bars.” Small gift shops will not have toilets. Tickets for the Vaporetto:A one-way ticket on the Vaporetto cost 6 Euro (approximately $9 US) and is good only in one direction and 60 minutes. That’s a pretty steep price and makes the Tourist cards look very reasonable. You can buy online before your go, avoiding the lines and without ever speaking one syllable of Italian. Take a look at the time you will be there. You take the vaporetto in Venice not only to save time but energy and besides the scenery along the canals can only be seen from a boat. iMOB: Electronic Tickets:The benefit of having a pass is that you can pick up the vaporetto at any stop and it’s a great way for crossing the canal instead of walking a half mile. Since the introduction of the iMOB, the electronic ticket. You need to hold your ticket over the meter at the entrance of the vaporetto station. You must do this each and every time you board, otherwise there is the possibility of a fine. Venice Connected website will let you buy your ticket online. To view the schedules (and yes they are generally on time) visit the ACTV site. Venice Card – Reduced Fares for MuseumsIt gives you free entrance to a number of Municipal Museums, like the Doge’s Palace, Museo Corret, Ca’ Rezzonicio, Palazzo Mocenigo, Ca’ Pesaro, the Glass Museum, the Lace Museum and Museum of Natural History (houses in the Fondato Turkish. Many other sights and museums offer reduced admissions with the card. Again, the benefit is saving you time from standing in lines. You can buy online before you go at HelloVenezia. Reminder: If you buy your passes on line, be sure you print and take the email with you. Printing in Venice will occupy your valuable time as you search for a place to print. The 55th Biennale of VeniceFrom 1 June until 24 November 2013 the city of Venice is submerged in “art”. The art is placed all around the city and some of it takes a bit of convincing as to the nature of the art. However, 88 countries are represented and it’s worth a bit of time to explore some of the pavilions.Many exhibits are outside in squares and totally free. Those which are housed in a palazzo give you the added value of seeing inside these amazing places. For more information on museums in Venice click on the picture. The opening on 1 June brought out the mega-yatchs and socialites, with all the berths occupied along the water front. The main offices are in the Ca’ Giustinian, a short distance from San Marco Square with large exhibits at the Central Pavilion in the Giardini. (Boat Stop: Giardini). The Biennale is held on even years. The art is avant-garde, and may defy your vision of art, but never boring! Internet Access: These little shops tend to come and go. There are fewer people who need a computer as more people use their mobile phone for texting and accessing the web. The one which I have used over the years is in Cannaregio, not terribly far from the train station. From the station, (coming out facing the canal), go left down Lista di Spagna and continue through Campo S. Geremia. Cross over the Ponte de le Guglie and it is on the right just where the outdoor market, Mercato Rionale, begins. Hours are (hopefully) 9:30 to about 9 p.m. (It changes seasonally.) A couple of Things Not to Do (not in order of gravity):1. Do not sit on the door way, or window of stores and apartment buildings for a picnic.2. Do not sit in the seats on the vaporetto clearly marked with pictures of elderly people, handicapped people, and mothers with babies.3. Do not block the aisles of the vaporetto with suitcases and strollers, or occupy the seats with the same.4. Do not throw anything into the canals, including cigarettes. (Now you may see some ill-behaved locals doing this. But you should not!)5. Do not stand outside on the vaporetto blocking entrance and exit. We all know you want to get the best possible picture, but locals just want to get home. Things New in Venice:Sephora! While I am not usually the fan of the every city having exactly the same shops and will complain greatly, Sephora is a necessity I rejoiced to see open. It is between the train station and Piazzale Roma (same side). Seems like every trip I forget something, imagine my happiness when I saw this American mall fixture right in Venice. The train station is under upgrading, hopefully to be completed for the summer season. Meanwhile, it is a bit confusing, so give your self plenty of time if you want to buy tickets. The little café has moved and while not a huge improvement, appears to have more items travelers need. You can still get a cappuccino and sandwiches with a small space for sitting. Arriving in Venice by Train: Be careful that your destination is St. Lucia, Venezia, not Mestre. If the destination says Mestre, the train will not arrive in Venice and will depart for parts unknown, like Milano, Trieste, Udine or further. You will have to get off in Mestre and catch another train to Venice. There are literally hundreds daily, but it is a hassle to get your luggage off the train, up and down the steps to find another train, remembering that the train only stops for 3-5 minutes there. Once you arrive at St Lucia Venezia, you will most likely still need to take the vaporetto to somewhere close to your hotel. Just outside the train station along the canal, there are 5 boat stops. Some going each way up and down the canal. (A hint here is that the boat points in the direction it will go!) When you walk out of the train station (facing the canal) to your left is the direction of San Marco and to your right is the direction of Piazzale Roma, Tronchetto and the cruise terminal. Arriving in Venice at the Airport: Here the issue is to be sure which airport. Marco Polo is the international airport with arrivals/departures to the US and to most other European cities. However, when you reach Marco Polo, you are still a good hike and a boat ride away from Venice, or you could catch a Pullman to Piazzale Roma. For the bus, be sure to buy your ticket inside the airport, then just walk out the doors to the street.Take the bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma:You can buy your tickets for the ACTV (pubic transportation) at the Hello Venezia kiosk inside the airport until 8 p.m. most every day. There is a better view of this picture on the ACTV website explaining the routes. You can take the #5 directly from the airport to Piazzale Roma. If you need to get to the train station in Mestre from the airport, there are also buses for that route. Once you reach Piazzale Roma, you will most likely need to take a Vaporetto to get near your hotel. Take a Water Taxi: Even if you take a water taxi, it is about 1/4 mile from the airport to the dock, which you must walk, rain or shine. So rethink your packing! You can arrange the taxi inside the airport or when you reach the dock. Depending on how many people and luggage you have, and of course location of the hotel, a taxi may be your best option. Alilaguna tickets are 14 Euro one way from the airport to Venice. A taxi will be somewhere between 100 Euro and 150 Euro, but generally can get you quite close to the hotel. Print your hotel reservation and show it to the taxi driver. Alilaguna (do a little research on their website, at least you’ll know what the boat looks like) which is less expensive than a taxi. Be careful which line you get on. Look on the map and know which stop and line are closest to your hotel. Carrying luggage over several bridges because you took the wrong boat will put you in a grumpy mood! You can buy a ticket online before you go, but you must take the voucher to one of their ticket booths, so it only waste time, you can always pay also on the boat. There is a ticket booth conveniently located dockside. Do look at your airline schedule and make sure that Alilaguna is operating when you arrive and that upon your return, it will arrive at the airport in time for check-in. A taxi is your only alternative for 6 a.m. flights as the first boat does not depart Venice until about 6a.m. The same is true if your flight arrives very late. Treviso is the regional airport used by Wizz Air, Ryan Air, and other low cost airlines. Treviso is 40Km from Venice. There are frequent buses from Treviso to Venice and if you fly on Ryan Air, you can book their Pullman directly through their site. Be sure to get your luggage and head immediately for the departure point as it has a strict time schedule. You could also hire a taxi – which will be faster but much more expensive. Or you could hire a taxi to take you to the train station where you could catch a local to Venice. General Reminder for all Travelers:Passports: Make a copy of your passport and keep it with you. In the event you somehow loose your passport, a copy will expedite your ability to replace it. It is also safer to carry this copy around with you. Remember that in Italy everyone is required to carry a card of identity with them at all times. Credit Cards: For your credit cards, stash a list of numbers to call (from outside the country) in case of loss and the card numbers. It makes reporting them to your credit card companies a whole lot easier. For more read our earlier post on Visiting Venice and Murano Google

Dichroic – Where Old Meets New

We took dichroic glass back to Venice after we encountered Jerry Sandberg and saw the beauty in this new decoration. Fortunately, Jerry Sandberg had begun working on dichroic for artist in the early 1970s.

He was working at a vacuum-coating laboratory in southern California in the solar cell industry when he saw an artist digging through the trash for broken pieces of dichroic. He was a jeweler as well as engineer and became interested in the creativity. He worked these three scavenger artists to create the first dichroic glass designed for the art industry, Cyan/Red; Magenta/Green and Yellow/Blue.

Today, some forty years later, the equipment CBS (Coatings by Sandberg) uses is as high tech as its companion industry, solar cells for satellites and the photography industry. These machine cost around $2M and apply the metallic films under vacuum. The more colors, the more layers and longer it takes to produce. By the time we arrived on the scene, Sandberg was already familiar with Murano Glass and had begun coating it. Because glass melts and cools as different temperatures, we can only use Murano Glass to make our beads. This is a very strange marriage of high tech equipment and low tech. We just melt glass around mandrels.

It took us several years, lots of batches of dichroic which we entrusted to only one of our families who produce beads for us. The cost is high for the dichroic and add to that the shipping round trip from Murano to Los Angeles and then back to Murano. Well you can see how these little bits of glitter are expensive. (And of course the Italian Government likes to make their share on the returning glass.)

When we first took the dichroic to Venice, we had no idea how to teach them to work with it. We solicited the help of a well-known insect artist in Venice, only to be told by him that he had no intention of sharing his knowledge with any “Muranese”. He is Venetian so a little of the feud between Venice and Murano. (So much for that, we were on our own.)

So we went to work with one of our beadmakers, an ex-maestro in a major furnace. His knowledge of the glass guided us through the early days, but we had no idea the colors that would work. It was an expensive trial and error period taking us about two years before we got a bead we could sell. But we knew inside these magic color wands we had some beautiful beads, if only we could learn how NOT to burn out the color.

It is one thing to make a few beads each day as many lampwork artist do. It is an entirely different thing to produce in quantities that we require. So some compromise has to be reached which requires us working with the bead makers.

On a recent trip, we once again explored how we could make the best use of the dichroic. When our newest line, Carnevale Glitz were still in the fire, we knew they would be a hit. Adding dichroic to our Gold Foil really made the dichroic pop. We could hardly wait for them to cool and taken off the mandrels. The colors really jump our against the exterior gold. So enjoy a bit of old Venetian Bead Making and thanks to Jerry Sandberg, some added amazing colors.

More Information in case you want to learn more:

– The Flow Magazine 2010 – History of Dichroic by Howard Sandberg

– Coating by Sandberg website: http://cbs-dichroic.com/faq.asp#whatisdichroic

What Really Goes on at VenetianBeadShop.com

What really goes on at VenetianBeadShop.com

I thought I’d give you a little insight of what we’re working on here at VenetianBeadShop.com and the daily “struggles” to keep our website fresh, our products the best and our selection unsurpassed. And of course getting your beads shipped out to you ASAP.

Some days when our new boxes of beads come in we feel like Christmas. Other days when only a portion of it arrives or the colors are off (here’s where you get lots of specials) we feel like really disappointed children on Christmas morning.

It all begins with us working with the bead maker, we have to specify colors ever sooo precisely and even then Moretti will produce a batch of canes which are simply off. Then of course there is the “lost in translations” between the day we decide and the day they sit down to make the beads. And the difference in what beads they think are urgent versus what I think are urgent.

Or simply we are waiting on Moretti to produce the right canes. This happens especially often in the millefiori which require a specific millimeter bead to produce.

Website Woes:

Then there’s the website…..computers often have a way of disrupting everything. Microsoft or Foxfire or Safari launch a software update which throws all our website to the far right of the screen or worse yet, you (our customers) can’t get past step 1. (By the way we urge you to update your Foxfire and that is not easy.)

We are a small company, and Jeff is IT manager, Web Designer, Jewelry Artist, Findings Guru and sometimes he even gets some work done. I am chief translator in Italian, bead expeditor, bead designer, specials star and newsletter editor and most days chief cook! And of course, barista extraordinaire, Miss Sylvia, our espresso machine is always on ready for a cappuccino.

And did I forget to mention that we have four grandchildren who demand their equal attention.

Tips for Visiting Venice and Murano

Venice Tips & Places
This week one of our customers asked us for recommendations in Venice and Murano. Since many of you may be planning travels. We’ll share a few of our tips with you

Visiting a Furnace: There are 2 ways,
1) DELUXE: Ask at your hotel who always has an arrangement with a furnace in Murano. They will pick you up and take you in a taxi. You’ll get a grand tour, history & info on making the glass.
At the end you will be escorted to the “showroom” where you will get an aggressive sales pitch. Some people enjoy the personalized visit, want to spend a chunk of Euro on glass and they are happy. Others enjoy the tour, but have no intentions of buying.
This makes the furnace owner unhappy as he has paid the hotel a “ransom” to deliver you there, so probably there will not be a taxi to take you back to your hotel and you’ll have to find the public vaporetto. (So read carefully #2 below)
2) DO IT YOURSELF (My Pick): Take the public vaporetto to Murano. Take the 41, 42 or the DM (departs Venices from Piazzale Roma or the train Station only). The 41, 42 take about 40 minutes, the DM about 20. Get off at Colonna (its the first stop on Murano).
When you arrive, there will likely be several men (with badges) who will offer you a tour. It’s a short walk with them and you’ll get part of the DELUXE and less of the sales pitch. There will be someone making little horses or animals and it is still interesting.
Afterwards you can wander around the islands (yes there are more than one) and maybe catch another tour.
Shopping in Venice and Murano: 3 Pieces of Advise.
1) If you see something you love, must have, buy it. Don’t think that you will find it somewhere else cheaper because chances are you won’t and secondly chances are you won’t be able to find the first store again or run out of time and then dream about it forever!
2) If it’s cheap it is not Murano Glass. This goes for jewelry, vases, anything glass. The “Merchants” of Venice will let you think it is. Sometimes they will downright lie to you.
3) Do Not Buy from the street vendors – this means anyone with goods on a bedsheet, selling out of a canvas bag, or lined on the steps of bridges selling purses, toys, watches or whatever the current racket is. You can be fined. It is all fake, meaning illegal.
Eating in Venice: First about the food in Venice. It’s a lagoon and their local cuisine is derived from fish and shellfish. Just visit the Fish Market any morning (before noon) and you’ll see the locals buying their daily supplies. The local traditional foods are seppie neri pasta (it’s squid with the ink in the pasta), baccala (dried cod in paste), sarde & soar (onions, sardines & vinegar) and Fegato alla veneziana (liver). The grilled fish is always a good choice and besides it’s healthy.
The good news is that the wine, even good wine, is inexpensive.
My favorite Prosecco, Carpene Malvoti, is about 6 Euro in the local grocery. In the US, it’s $24.00 plus tax!
A cappuccino cost about 1.5 Euro, yes it’s a bit smaller but vastly superior!
The other great thing is that there’s no additional tax. What you see on an item is the price, the VAT (equivalent of tax) is already included. Makes figuring out prices a whole lot easier.
Morning Pastry:
In Venice, one of the oldest pastry shops is Pasticceria Rosa Salva. It’s a century old and there are 5 in Venice and one in Mestre (mainland). Ask any local and they can point you in the direction.
Indulging in Venice:
Many tourist, especially Americans make the pilgrimage to Harry’s Bar made famous by Ernest Hemmingway. But for my 50 Euro, nothing beats sitting in the Piazza San Marco (pick any of the cafes with outdoor seating) and listening to the bands, drinking prosecco and just enjoying being in this historical setting with a backdrop of the Chiesa San Marco and the lagoon.

Working in Venice – Technology

Every time we come to Venice, I think the internet access will be better and in general, it is better than it used to be however, for an Internet Company, we never have the bandwith we need. I am holed up on the landing between stairs which is the only place in the house we get reception. Touted as the only city with free WiFi, we can get it only on the Grand Canal, so riding the boats I can work as well as sitting at the boat stops.

It has been raining for what seems like an eternity with 2 small children with us. One day when we were headed out of Venice to work with a supplier, a tree fell on the train track and we were trapped on the train with our hungry 6 year old. No trains moving, we had to take a bus back to Venice which took about 2 hours. The traffic was snarled with the lack of the trains to move people around.

It seems there are more tourist here than in the previous couple of years. We spend most rides on the vaporetto giving directions. Jeff has been complimented on his English! One tourist thought the platform where we wait for the vaporetta was a boat and wondered when we would be moving.

Our Ipads have been a huge hit here and even better than a dog or baby to break the ice. Italians love new electronics. One day on the train we met an Italian journalist who was intrigued by the Ipad. He already had an iphone, but was having problems with it. Jeff rebooted his iphone and now he is writing a story about the Apple support on the train.

Marcella plays while we work. No technology needed.

I shall give you the rules for Tourist as rain magnifies every movement in terms of time and effort. So if you come to Venice here are some rules. Too bad the Italians don’t read this as I have a few suggestions as well.

1. When you get on, don’t block the entrance,especially if you have luggage. Move inside. Move back. The locals have no way of getting their carts of groceries home other than the boat and dodging giant luggage makes it difficult.

2. Before you come, go to www.actv.it and look at the boat schedules. Get a bit of the lay of the land so you are not standing on the wrong platform. The Grand Canal is rather a two lane highway and if you figure out which way the boat is pointing, you will be fine. Now the Gira Citta is yet another story. One goes around clockwise and the other counter-clockwise but both eventually work their way around the island.

This Week’s Work

The beginning of the week we went to Effetre to select the canes for a project where we are matching fused pendants, beads for a total look.We bought our sample beadsto begin producing the matching pieces and to take to our fusion supplier to begin producing.

We worked with one of our furnaces to produce some new mosaic canes which will be exclusive to us. Everyone can buy the standard canes from Effetre,even in the US they are sold. But these canes and the colors are being produced only for us.

Additionally there currently is not available aventurina from the factory, but our furnace is now producing for us the canes we will use in the beads. The aventurina is in block form and takes a little work to make the stringers, but the result in the beads is quite stunning.

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