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…
When we were working with our bead maker, we made this short video. It gives you some idea of the steps involved in making a complicated bead like this. But even before she sits down to turn on the “canello” the torch used in Murano, she has already assembled the fragments of mosaic canes, color…
The latest crisis facing Murano furnaces is the exorbitant increase in Methane prices. Methane is the gas used to melt the sand into glass in most of the furnaces in Murano. It is piped under the lagoon directly to Murano. The latest is a double whammy occurring on the tails of the shut-down for COVID.…
Hooray! We have finally been successful in obtaining the necessary VAT number to once again ship to the EU. That was a major undertaking that I am sure caused me more grey hair. We can ship packages values at under €150 through our international parcel consolidator. HOW IT WORKS: Our website will now charge VAT…
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…
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.…
Market Places, The Good, The Bad and the downright UglyWe 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…
Many people think traditional mouth blowing glass is synonymous with glassblowing but that’s only a type of it. A more precise method to create glass apparatuses known as lathe blown glass has also gained the attention of many bead enthusiasts. And this is why here’s a complete guide by us on mouth-blown and lathe blown glass and…
Beads have been used for generations to make necklaces, rosaries, and other pieces of jewelry. While traditional beads are adorable, lampwork beads go a step above in adding aesthetics and enhancing the overall appeal of the jewelry. Despite their exquisite nature and unique heritage, few people are aware of their origin and building process. This…
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…