Murano Glass

Murano glass is a special type of glass which is produced on Murano, an island of the shore of Venice, Italy.

It has been a port of trade since the 7th century and is now a very busy city of trade and export with Murano glass being the largest product exported

But how is Murano glass different from ordinary glass?

Murano Glass jewellery is created by using a large variation of incredibly striking effects, which can also be found in decorative ornaments and contemporary art. Murano attracts a large quantity tourists to its unique jewellery trade because it requires a level of craftsmanship in order to create the breathtaking effects which prove so popular with jewellery enthusiasts everywhere.

Murano’s glass trade started when the Venetian republics were worried of a fire destroying the city because of their wooden buildings, and so moved all the factories to the island of Murano. The glassmakers embraced and celebrated the fact that they were allowed all sorts of perks, for example they were allowed to wear swords and were immune from prosecution, while their daughters were able to marry into rich families.

Murano Glass craftsmanship techniques include methods such as ‘Murrine’ which is the layering of coloured liquid glass before being stretched by rods or ‘canes’ these are then sliced in a cross section, revealing a layered pattern. ‘Filigree’ another method of cane working, glass engraving, gold engraving, incalmo, lattimo, painted enamel, ribbed glass, and submersion as well as ‘Sommerso’.

All techniques however prove to have incredibly beautiful results and Murano glss is considered a beautiful collectors item that should be a treasured object.