The elegance and fragile beauty of Murano glass have been captivating the hearts and imaginations of people for centuries. And although the term “Murano (or Venetian) glass” is familiar to many, we suggest delving a little deeper into the history of this amazing art.
What is Murano glass? These are products (tableware, figurines, interior items, jewelry) created using a special technology from a special glass alloy. The basis of the material is Venetian sand. For many centuries, glassblowers from the Italian island of Murano kept their production technology a secret, but today the production of such products is widespread throughout the world. We tell you more about the amazing history of Venetian glass: what is its uniqueness and why jewelry made from this material has not lost its relevance over many centuries?
The history of Murano glass
Most historians agree that the beginning of the production of Murano glass can be considered the 13th century. Of course, glass had been made in Venice before, but it was no different from the products of other European countries.
In 1204, after the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders, Byzantine craftsmen fled to Italy (in particular, to Venice), taking with them a sample of unusual painted glass and the technology for its production. Venetian artisans took advantage of the new technology, and suddenly their products began to sell out and bring income to Venice.
Initially, glass workshops were located in Venice itself, but production was directly related to fire and threatened to cause fires to the wooden buildings of the city. Therefore, at the end of the 13th century, it was decided to move the workshops first outside the city, and then to a separate island. Since then, Murano has become the center of production of the famous Venetian glass.
Manufacturing technology
The uniqueness of the production of Murano glass jewelry is that each product is made by hand and only in a single copy. You will never find two identical pairs of earrings or two identical bracelets, since the master cannot exactly repeat the design twice.
Over the past centuries, the production process has undergone changes, improved, but, in general, the technology has remained unchanged. Today, craftsmen still make glass jewelry only with their own hands, without using machines and conveyors.
For many centuries, the manufacturing technology was kept secret. A Venetian master who shared the secret with a stranger would face terrible punishment, including the death penalty. Many years have passed and today some production secrets are still known, for example, the glass-making process.
At the initial stage, additional components are added to the silicate sand, which determines the shade of the glass product. To obtain a blue color, it is necessary to add cobalt oxide, red after adding real gold powder to the mixture. The resulting solution is placed in an oven, the temperature of which reaches a thousand degrees, from the liquid mixture the master blows the product of the required shape. To cool, the item is placed in another oven for 24 hours.
How to distinguish real Murano glass from a fake
Fake Murano glass jewelry is quite common, even in the homeland of its production. Outwardly, they are very similar to the real thing. Therefore, it is difficult for non-professionals to understand that they have stumbled upon a cheap surrogate. How to distinguish real Murano glass?
- Murano glass undergoes heat treatment, due to which the glass in jewelry is very durable. If you lightly hit it on a hard surface, there should be no marks or scratches left on it. But of course, you should not throw the product with all your might on a concrete floor, it is still glass.
- One of the main differences of Murano glass is the variety of patterns that are formed due to various oxides of chemical elements. These patterns in real glass are located deep from the surface. Well, each pattern is laid out filigree, down to the smallest detail.
- Genuine Murano glass jewelry does not fade or change color, as it is not painted with paint, but with metal oxides.
- There are no two absolutely identical jewelry pieces! This is exclusively handmade, so even in one bracelet the beads will not be identical.
- Interesting fact! If you find an emblem with the words “Vetro Artistico Murano” on the product (it can be stamped on the bottom of the product, depicted on a sticker-label or made in the form of internal gold plating in the upper zone), then this jewelry was made directly on the island of Murano in Venice, you can be sure of its authenticity. But, since Murano glass is now produced not only in Italy, the absence of an inscription does not mean anything about a fake. The raw material itself, of course, must be original, but it can be obtained anywhere in the world. Therefore, today Murano glass is real Venetian glass the right technique.
Care of products
- Despite the fact that Murano glass is quite strong and durable, you must adhere to a few simple rules for caring for them:
- Do not wear jewelry while playing sports, cooking, cleaning, taking a bath or shower;
- Do not use aggressive cleaning agents that can scratch the surface;
- store items separately from each other and other jewelry, preferably in special bags or separate boxes with velvet soft walls;
- wipe the surface of the jewelry with soft flannel after use;
- avoid sudden temperature changes.
- With proper care, Murano glass jewelry will delight you with its elegance and beauty for decades!
Modern history
Currently, there are still a large number of companies producing Murano glass on the island of Murano. The most famous among them are Barovier Toso, Ferro, Moretti, Pauli, Seguso, Venini. Some of them (Barovier Toso, Seguso) are dynasties of hereditary glassblowers, whose history dates back to the 13th-14th centuries.
Currently, there are several technologies used in the manufacture of Murano glass:
- Agate glass glass made of multi-colored layers located in different planes, looking like agate.
- Aventurine glass glass obtained by adding copper chips to the glass mass, which crystallizes at high temperatures and gives a unique effect.
- Filigree glass obtained by introducing thin colored threads into the mass of transparent glass, which represent a chaotic weave or a regular mesh. With the help of some technological subtleties after blowing, the product acquires a unique color and mesh texture.
- Mosaic glass (Millefiori technology) thin rods of layered multi-colored glass, in cross-section having the shape of a flower, star, circle or other geometric figure, are cut into millimeter slices and fused into other glass forms.
- Craquellage immersion of a hot object in cold water, which leads to cooling and cracking of the outer layer of glass.
