Murano. Unique. Why?

Glass is all around us and it has been for centuries.beauty; as finely labored as lace, as light as
It is so commonly used that we literally seefeathers, yet full of glorious colors. It is here that
through it… so why pay sothe Murano glass tradition as we know it today
much for a piece of glass jewelry? Just becausebegun: paperweights, vases, chandeliers, mirrors,
it is Made in Murano?candy-glass ornaments, plates in different sizes
Because it is Made in Murano!and shapes, bottles of all sizes, tableware, small
Heat a blob of glass until molten, hold it with tongscolored animals, figurines, calligraphy pens and of
or pliers ("borselle") and attach an iron blowpipe tocourse jewelries! With regards to jewelry, one
it. Now, roll the hot ball of glass while at the samepopular souvenir is la Murrina: a slim round pendant
time you're blowing through a blowing pipe ("cannain colored glass with spiral or flower patterns that
da soffio"). Then heat the glass again and repeatis hung on gold, silver or just a simple cotton
the above steps in order to obtain a smallnecklace around your neck.
wonder. That's exactly how the magic of MuranoThe art of glass blowing is first of all a family
glass begins.tradition in Italy, as thorough understanding of the
Just as magic and nevertheless as extraordinary,material and excellent glassblowing techniques are
glass is all around us. Found in many different colorrequired to fully exploit the qualities of the glass.
and shapes, be it a vase, a bowl, a church'sTechnical knowledge and skills combined with
stained glass (medieval glass) or a bead necklace;passion and pride taken in a work well done are
with gold or silver embedded in it or in vibrantpassed on through generations of glassblowers
colors… each and every glassand are developed in conjunction with a sense of
object is absolutely unique.elegance and style, thoroughly appropriate to the
Exclusively hand made by a glass artist, amaterial.
craftsman or a Master Artisan, hand made glassSome of the Murano manufacturers are
objects and especially Murano glass items areworld-known for the beauty of the shapes, the
unique.difficulty of their craft, and the constant quality of
Why?their product; think vintage Venini or Seguso. But
Because at the other end of the blowpipe aeven smaller manufacturers nowadays create
human being is blowing life into the glass.Âoutstanding products, and indeed sometimes they
And also for the very simple reason that humancan afford more freely to experiment and try
beings cannot make two identical objects, justnew combinations both in design and in balancing
similar ones.the colors, still always conforming to the traditional
This is the genuine appeal and magic of a blownmanufacturing techniques.
glass item: one can have as many as one canOften the Murano glass - especially the larger,
afford to buy and they can be more or lessmore valuable pieces - comes accompanied by a
beautiful, but no two of them will ever be theguarantee, be it the artist's signature or
same if they are individually blown. And glass hasworkshop's trademark or a slip containing a
been manufactured since the 3rd millennium BC incertificate of authenticity. An original Murano item
Egypt, where 1st century BC holds evidence ofis heavy, its colors bright and its glass flawless.
the first true blown glass in Syria.The lack of such a guarantee does not
Throughout the centuries blown glass hasnecessarily mean that one would be dealing with a
remained a luxury material and its art hasfake or a copy. But then, how can I tell the real
flourished during the Roman world. The white silicathing, how can I be confident that I'm not being
sand from this area was the ideal raw material tosold "fake" Murano glass? Our advice is to buy
be used in the production of Roman glass due tofrom a respectable, specialized shop. Like Alluring
its low impurity levels. Starting with the 14thCreations.
century, the island of Murano, off the shore ofAnd above all, do not be afraid to ask questions
Venice, Italy, started to hold theto the shop owner: the best Murano glass dealers
monopoly in luxury glass creations: dinnerware,have an in-depth knowledge of their wares and
mirrors, jewelleries, lighting products. It is herewill be all too happy to answer your questions and
that throughout a laborious and demanding workhelp you make the best choice possible.
of art experts craftsmen have been producingLast but not least, remember that Murano is an
for many centuries blown glass objects of rareinvestment, both cultural and financial!