This August marks 23 years that we have been working in Murano and Venice with our wonderful bead makers. It started as a hobby, well not even that, friends wanted the beautiful necklaces that I had bought in Murano. Little did I know that loading my bags with goodies for friends would lead 1)a change…
What goes into making a millefiori bead? What are they always different? What makes them smooth? and other questions you’ve always wanted to know about millefiori! First the canes must be made. And since there are many different opaque millefiori slices of canes used in this particular millefiori bead, well there are about 120 opaque canes that…
Murano has converted the Abate Zanetti School of Glass into a technical institute. Abbot Vincenzo Zanetti founded the school in 1826 as a design school for the glass workers of Murano, fought to improve the living and working conditions on the island and pay standards. It continues to offer glass classes attended by blowers and bead makers from…
These are very popular in Venice, and combining both traditional Murano Glass beads for the center piece and Borosilicate Glass, commonly called “boro” for the curved tubes. The tubes are curved working in the flame. Here are some suggestions for center beads. You will need a bead that is at least 20mm to command the center, or…
The round bead is the first one you learn how to make. And most of our other shapes take off from the humble round bead. So it is the building block and our most popular bead shape. We buy and sell many thousands of round Gold Foil beads each year. First you’ll need a torch,…
Venice has battled the plague more than once in it’s history. Arriving on the boats in the harbor of Venice, the merchants brought disease which killed large numbers of the population. Today’s plague and pestilence is a different kind, the abusive, illegal vendors who badger the tourist selling bags, selfi sticks, toys and feed for…
Read our Blog on the trouble in the Murano. Click Here
Read our BlogVenice and learn about how to get to Venice from the airport, buy your boat passes, what’s going on and more. It promises to be a big year for tourist with some 20-30 million visitors, many coming to Italy for Expo2015 and then heading to Venice. There will be a record number of cruise ships…
Roberto Donà created this tool making video in honor of his late father Carlo Donà, his family has been making tools for the furnaces and bead makers of Murano for 90 years. The tools must be strong, created for specific uses in production furnaces on Murano, and must survive the daily use in the furnaces. Roberto…
Venice had many reason to celebrate, not the least of which was that the Allies did not damage any buildings in Venice. Lead by RAF Captain Westlake, the precision strike was successful. Tribute is paid to the Italian Resistance who were so essential in the success. Read full blog!