| Murano glass jewelry is highly sought after | | | | blow the inside portion of the glass so it |
| throughout the world. The artisans that | | | | expands and adheres to the contour of its |
| produce this jewelry are highly skilled and | | | | mold. The pontello is used with this tool to |
| accomplished craftsmen with traditions dating | | | | hold the glass while it is blown and after it |
| back several centuries. | | | | is blown. It also makes it easy for the |
| | | | craftsman to add the final touches to the |
| As with other kinds of glass, Murano glass is | | | | glasswork before it hardens thoroughly. The |
| made from fine silica. The silica melts when | | | | scagno is the glassmaker's workbench. The |
| exposed to high temperatures and becomes | | | | final tool is the tagianti, a pair of |
| molten glass. After it hardens, it becomes | | | | clippers, which is used to cut through glass. |
| solid glass. When glass is in its | | | | |
| semi-molten state, it can be bent or shaped, | | | | Having the right tools is not enough for |
| stretched or packed, or hot worked in other | | | | anyone to work with glass as the Murano |
| ways. | | | | masters do. Hotworking glass is a very |
| | | | sensitive process, especially if your goal is |
| To shape and work with glass as they do, the | | | | to shape glass to create very attractive |
| Murano glassmakers make use of special tools | | | | works of art. Considerable effort must be |
| to get the job done. One of the main tools | | | | put into detail to make glass art look its |
| is the borselle, the name of the tongs, which | | | | best. If you wish to put things in |
| are used to hand handle glass while in its | | | | perspective and learn just how difficult |
| molten state so that it can be formed, bent, | | | | working with glass is, try heating up a small |
| and shaped accordingly. For creations which | | | | glass tube, then try stretching it evenly |
| are meant to be containers, a tool called | | | | along its length without splitting the tube |
| canna da soffio (blowing pipe) is used to | | | | in two. |