View our "Making of Glass Beads" video

The creation, mystery and intrigue of Venetian Glass, began as early as the 8th Century. In 1291, the art of glassmaking was moved to the nearby island of Murano. Murano is located in the Venetian lagoon approximately one mile from "The Jewel of the Adriatic".

Venetian Glass factories relocated to Murano, to avoid potential fires which could destroy many of the wooden structures in this highly populated city. It has also been implied that the Master Glass Artisans were sent to Murano to prevent them from sharing their glass "recipes" or trade secrets to outsiders. These recipes were highly protected by the Master Glassmakers. Their unique combination of sand, minerals and colorants would create compositions known only to the artist. Exposing this information would allow already jealous beadmakers in Europe and Asia to recreate their tiny jewels.

In 1492 a law was imposed forbidding Murano Artisans, under penalty of death, from revealing their secrets. In the 15th Century over 200,000 different types of Venetian beads were being made from over 450 different colors. Today, we have only a small percentage of those colors being used. Dyes and chemical compounds have been banned from the art of glassmaking due to environmental and health hazards. The magnificent Venetian glass bead is still handcrafted one by one.

Venetian and Muranese artisans use the same technique as used centuries before. This technique is called Lampworked. Master Glassmakers would use oil lamps to heat the glass rods to molten. The molten glass is then wrapped around a copper mandrel and shaped into the desired form. After the bead has annealed, the copper mandrel is cut at both ends of the bead and removed from the center. Thus, producing a hole.

Today, Venetian beads are made using the same technique however the flame is fueled by propane. Technique, craftsmanship and family recipes have been passed down for centuries, from generation to generation, continuing the legacy of the magical glass bead.