Murano Glass Bead Jewelry: A Short History of These Unique Beads Venetian glass, also known as Murano glass due to its production on this small island, is globally renowned for its beauty whether it is a colorful blown glass chandelier, figurine,vase or mirror.The glass handmade in special furnaces boasts of a style and pedigree that can’t be matched by any other types of glass. And, the Murano glass beads are exceptional too; they are so elegant. The Venetian glass making industry was shifted in the thirteenth century to the island of Murano because fire was hard to control in Venice. However, the discovery of the new world opened up a new market for the glass beads used to make jewelry. The development of a novel market resulted in the bead making explosion. In a year, more than 4500 tons of beads were exported from Murano. Everything is made in glass on this island and you can also observe traditional glass making craft at its best here. Many ancient bead making techniques have been revived by glass makers to produce a host of wonderful items. Nowadays, the beads are woven into the decorative fibers of Venice.
Sometimes, you might feel the history of beaded jewelry cannot be interesting. But, it is quite interesting to learn where it all began. Some say bead making started more than thousand years ago when human beings found the gemstones incredibly beautiful. Beaded jewelry can be used for many purposes. One way is for value and another is for exquisiteness. Some cultures also use beads as talismans. Handcrafted beads jewelry has been made from various materials like bone, glass, porcelain, paper, clay, shells, gemstones, ivory, metals and even wood. Until the 1800s,the mass production of beads didn’t even begin when the glass beads became widely available. Art of Making Murano Glass Bead Jewelry