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…
Tag: Murano
Bye Bye Love Locks
Ok, so if you declared your love in Venice by attaching a small padlock to any bridge, be prepared for the removal of your lucchetti dell’amore. They have removed some 600 last week and are prepared to remove the more than 2,500 on the Accademia bridge alone. But, it seems they reappear almost as fast…
Costume Jewelry in the US
A couple of years ago when we did a bead show in Providence, Rhode Island, we became fascinated with the rich history of the area. If you make jewelry, you are all too familiar with the term “findings. Well you need look no further than Providence and nearby Attleboro to see where many of the small…
Color Secrets of Venetian Beads
In the making of Venetian (Murano Glass) Beads, we are limited by the colors which Effetre makes but long ago the Venetians discovered they could add other metals to change the colors. You can see from this chart the effects of gold, white gold and silver. Gold Foil: The gold warms the color with the…
Carnevale 2013
Jan 30, 2013: Venice is buzzing with preparations for the end of Carnival. It began officially on the 26th of January 2013 and ends on the 12th of February 2013. The Grand Theater has been build in Piazza San Marco, the “Marie” (like the beauty queen) has been chosen, the “best costumes” have been judged…
Snow & High Water
The Snow was a present for me as I absolutely love this magnificant city under a white blanket of snow. It began early in the day and continued until late afternoon. At first it was not sticking and we were trying to make pictures of the flakes, afraid it would not stay. Enjoy these and we’ll post…
New Venetian Colors & Shapes
It sounds terribly romantic to travel to Venice and mostly like in your vision (and wishfully, in mine) have a glass of Veneto wine while we gaze at an array of dazzling Venetian Beads. Reality Check! The new beads you see arriving at Venetian Bead Shop don’t have that romantic origin. For us, it begins…
Love Locks – Venice
It’s official name is the Ponte dell’Accademia and in addition to being one of the most photographed bridges, it is also a very useful crossing along the Grand Canal. It connects Dorosoduro Sestiere to San Marco Sestiere and makes a great shortcut into the historic center. The yellow building in the background is the Palazzo…
Making Beads
Handmade beads are different, each one. You wonder why? So let me explain. Each bead starts as a rod, cane, of glass which is roughly 10mm in diameter. Now I know that American “lampworkers” use a smaller cane. In production beads, we simply don’t do this. So here is your cane of glass, add in some…
Chihuly Glass Inspiration
When we are in need of inspiration for new bead designs or new jewelry, there are lots of places we turn. Of course, we use the Pantone colors and pour over the latest fashion magazines. But there are other great sources of inspiration that we fine in museums, gardens and in the works of one of…