Millefiori Venice Glass: A Popular Murano Glassmaking Technique Ever Millefiori is a combination of two Italian words; ‘mille’ means thousand and ‘fiori’ means flower. It is a glassmaking technique that involves the creation of exclusive patterns on glassware, using glass rods or canes known as murrine. Looking at the astonishing Murano or Venice glass rings, pendants, figurines and even vases, it is hard to believe how Venetian artisans are able to make these arts on glass.
Creating the pattern of millefiori glass is a multi-step process. It all starts with the preparation of glass rods in a special way. It involves numerous layers of semi liquid glass paste applied one on top of another around the cylindrical rod. Every layer is molded in a certain shape and color. Then, multilayered rod is expanded and cut into small cylindrical pieces known as murrine. It is subsequently cleaned up and applies a special heat resistant for the product to mold to give the necessary shape. The mold containing murrine pattern is then placed in a special furnace to heat up the glass mixture in its liquid state. Once murrine starts bonding with each other, mold is detached and the artisan presses its contents to create a continuous millefiori surface with no gaps. The next step is to put it back to the furnace to shape the final product.