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 fire and a mandrel to drop the molten glass. Sounds simple? Well that is if the glass canes which we get from Moretti have been tempered properly, and don’t just plain explode when we put them in the fire. (That’s another story as well.) That’s just to make a solid color bead, which we can pretty much duplicate, except for size and shape which depends on how much molten glass you get on the mandrel. To add decoration, it becomes a more difficult task, requires longer to work and adds to the possibility that two beads are quite different. For example, Ca’d’oro or Oro Rotto, or Cracked Gold, all terms for the bead with what appears to be rolled in gold. In fact, we start with a gold foil, much the thickness and fragility of what used to be on the outside of chewing gum. It is fickle, will blow away at a whisper, has a fatal attraction to the glass like static electricity and jumps on the bead, exactly where it chooses. The continued working of the bead in the fire expands the glass and Allora! the gold cracks, just where and how it chooses. Then of course there are the other uncontrollable issues: the humidity, the air temperature, not to mention the bead maker’s mood, attention, state of mind, focus, and hopefully they are on the same page with our wishes and desires. So while we’d like to produce each bead in a very similar shape, size and decoration, in a perfect world, we do not live there. So your beads will always be different. I can understand this. I can’t make 2 exact cups of cappuccino on any given day, not for the lack of sophisticated espresso machines or desire. I can’t make 2 Nana Cakes that turn out the same.(The term we used for a pound cake which is famous on 2 continents and a recipe handed down from my mother.) Until I can do both of these, I think we’ll have to accept that beads are different but beautiful! But we will keep trying. :<)
Google
Tag: Murano
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 America’s most famous glass artist, Dale Chihuly. His works are monumental in size, for example, the ceiling in the Hotel Bellagio in Las Vegas, or his installations in Venice, Japan and the impressive Glass Museum in Tacoma, Washington. Because of his fame, his works are installed in many public buildings, and locally in the Palo Medical Foundation in Mt View Ca. Each time I visit, I have to make new pictures as the colors never fail to brighten the day and the colors change with the light. For your enjoyment, here’s the link to a list on Chihuly’s website of public buildings where you can find his chandelier’s installed. If you live near one, visit and send us the picture, we’ll post it. Just seeing these amazingly colorful and bigger than life blown glass pieces will surely make you smile. And of course watch for an exhibit near you as well. If you’d like to see the slide show we put together from Chihuly’s exhibition in San Francisco at the De Young Museum in 2008, YOUTUBE: VenetianBeadShop Chihuly. For Chihuly’s website pictures click here or visit his site. The colors will inspire you to try new combinations in your jewelry.
Our Favorite Table Favors
Each year we make table decorations for Thanksgiving and Christmas and they are small gifts to remember the day. Some of our biggest kids (over 90) love them as well as the smaller ones who can’t wait to eat the treats. We got a head start this year as we used the same base from Thanksgiving for our Christmas. The process usually starts with a visit to the candy store and then arts and crafts stores with an open mind for ideas.Santa & Tree for IAF
We made 50 Santa and Christmas tree table favors for our friend’s Italian American Federation Christmas dinner. This took on a production line look as we lined up the candies and decorations. Fortunatel, we could eat our mistakes. Some years are more elaborate than others. Our most difficult undertaking was a couple of years ago when one of our Italian families spent Christmas with us and we were some 35 people at dinner. The table favor that year was a stocking, completely handmade and decorated along with their names written. It was the holder for the silverware and the name cards for dinner. Usually we don’t need name cards, but trying to sit guest who only speak Italian so they have a translator nearby requires a bit of organization.
Stocking to hold Silverware Gingerbreadmen with Names
Ice cream cones Frosted and DecoratedThis is is relatively easy to make, it begins with ice cream cones which you decorate with an icing which dries hard. We use Royal Icying and sprinkles, balls and an a candy star on top.The kids decorated all the cones for this dinner. The kids tend to put as many colors as possible. With the Royal Icing, you can make in advance. Marcella demonstrated how to make this year’s treat. At the end of the day, we had made so many retakes we ran out of KitKats and had eaten too much chocolate! Watch to learn.Supplies:(1) Base, we used KitKats because they are sturdy.(2) Candy Figurine (Santa, Reindeer, etc)(3) Kisses or Gum Drops for the tree. We used peppermint striped Kisses because they are tasty and add color.(4) Cookie Icing (You can make your own, or it’s easy for kids to use the prepackaged as Marcella does). We make these for all the holidays. They are fun for Mother’s Day, 4th of July, any occasion. Just change the figurines and decorations to make it yours. It’s about traditions, start your holiday tradition this year.
Working in Murano
While it sounds really exotic and like a story in a book, the truth about working in Murano is that you sometimes get what you get.
We’ve talked about the disasters with reds – though they have had about 700 centuries to get the recipes worked out – we are again struggling with reds that look muddy, black and simply NOT red. We try different lots to try and find one which we can use for the holiday season, and of course there’s Valentine’s Day looming in the future. Part of the issue is that Murano has been selling their glass to tourist for the same 700 centuries. Tourist go wide-eyed with the glare from all the glass around and buy everything that glitters. Muranese (as they are called) are used to this
. 
Along comes VenetianBeadShop and we say, yes we love that bead, but could you make 500 of it? And could you make it in 5 colors and with silver or gold foil and could we do in inverse to make a collection of interesting beads? The next word I assure you will be “Allora” which roughly means “Yes, But…” At this point you get a long an quite excited discourse, most often in dialect, on why it couldn’t possibly be made. Case in point: One of our bead makers is ever so talented, needs money badly, has small children, sick wife, house payments. This sounds like a perfect match, we love his work, our customers love the beads and this should be a business venture making everyone happy? We say, “Please make us 300 of each of these beautiful beads. The delivery must be in 3 weeks. He says “Allora”, we say “Allora – what?” This time the allora means he needs money to buy the glass. OK, we work this way with many of our bead makers, so we hand him the Euro for buying the glass. We say, “We will be back in one week and we’ll pick up the beads you have made in one week.” The balance will be shipped by our freight forwarder. One week goes by, contently we work with other bead makers, line up shipments and finally return for the goods made in a week of production? “Allora” there are no beads and now months later, there are still no beads. Though he still badly needs money, working apparently is out of the question. But it gets better. He managed to get a part time position demonstrating how to make beads in the tourist industry. They set up his lampworking table, said “Make the beads you like” and of course the tourist love watching the beads being made as he truly makes it look simple. The company would like to sell the beads he produces, should be a win-win? However in a month and a half, he made 150 beads??? So when you get the urge to go into the Venetian Bead business, just remember this Italian proverb:Più facile a dirsi che a farsi. (Translated: Easier said than done!)
Tools for Beadmaking
The islands of Murano are all about the glass. In the furnaces, their is a caste-like system with the Maestro at the top of the heap. Everyone revolves around his commands. This is the tradition passed down through generations of glass blowers in Murano. This is the view tourist see when they go to Murano. But there are any number of very important other jobs in the production of glass, including the cold workers, the torch makers. And for our bead makers, the men who produce the tools we use in the production of glass beads. Until a few years ago, most of these were produced by hand and getting two exact was an imposibility. One of the most famous of these Murano steel men, was Dona. Now his son carries on the family business, using CNC machines and CADCAM. Clearly, today we can get tools made much faster. Here’s a few pictures we made while working on new shapes, which requires a visit to the tool maker. From the vast assortment available can you believe we needed to have a new one made?
 |  |
| Selecting Heart Moulds | There are also tools for the furnace |
 |  |
| More Shapes & a block of Aventurina | A candy store for the bead maker |
 |  |
| How Many Heart Shapes? | The Machine Shop |
 |  |
| A Wall of Tools to Choose | We’ve Chosen, Next Step Samples! |
We will have several new shapes arriving in about 4-6 weeks. The tools are being produced now and then we must have the beads made.
We leave you with a scene of Murano in the late afternoon, the streets deserted as we finish our work waiting on the vaporetto and enjoying the marvelous colors of the skies over Murano..
Google
Tax and the Internet
What’s the Issue: The money hungry states are lobbying, along with Amazon and the NRF (National Retail Federation)and Walmart to impose taxes on all internet sales. (Since they failed in the ligitations, they now jumped on the tax everyone bandwagon.) The proposal is known as The Marketplace Fairness Act. I am not against taxing sales on the internet in principal. What I am against is the number of sales tax authorities, reporting and the amount of time, labor and energy it would take to report in the thousands of sales tax districts in the US. So while today we report in our individual state, now we would have to report in 50 states, 15,000 districts. And not every state is up-to-date with online software. It appears to me that some of the lobby is supported as well by businesses trying to captialize on this requirement. It’s every accountant’s dream, software that we all must use and for which they get paid to “oversee”. So they’ll charge all us small merchants to “sort” it out for us and the cost get added to the cost of doing business.
Why Do You Care: Ultimately, you the consumer will pay even more as this “service” becomes part of our operating budget expenses. What’s Fair? The only thing that makes sense from a small business prospective is a National Sales Tax. One rate, wherever business is conducted online. Even so, if you expect that if left to the individual states, that still means we must submit 50 sales tax reports, payments at least 4 times each year. What does it mean for Wholesale Customers? Immediately, every wholesale customer will have to be re-evaluated to make sure your Resale Certificate (or whatever they call it in your state) is valid and that we have it documented. What can you do? If you have an opinion on this, there is another Lobby group (of course) which is supported by ebay which is attempting to put some sanity into the process. You can check them out at their website: WerHereConclusion: The tax will pass eventually as the states are looking at these “lost taxes” like sugar plums on a Christmas Tree. The question is can our elected representatives in government produce a rational national sales tax that is not overly burdensome on small businesses.
Taxes
When you apply for wholesale, we do need your sales tax ID. If you are in a state where there is no Sales Tax, lucky you. But there is a business ID most likely. If you live in California, it is absolutely necessary that we have your Sales Tax ID, which we verify with the State. Additionally, you must sign and submit the Certification which says that you recognize that you must pay taxes on these items (through sales to your customers, or if you choose to use it, then you still owe the state sales tax). Without this, you will be charged sales tax. If you live outside California, and in a state where sales taxes are charged, you still aren’t off the hook. One day in the near future, all states will require online business to collect sales taxes. So in preparation for that wonderful day, we require your sales tax ID. The National Retail Federation is actively lobbying for this and some major players have already acquiesced, namely Amazon. It is a nightmare for small online stores and a national tax makes more sense than the 7,500 local tax jurisdictions and as many as 15,000 tax rates to administer. But getting the states to agree to sensible solutions has so far been futile.
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.
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.