- What is Murano?
Murano is a small Italian town located entirely on a small group of islands, similarly – and indeed very close to – Venice. It takes only 17 minutes by waterbus from Venice to Murano.
Just like Venice, Murano is set on a cluster of small islands Murano on Google’s map
- What is Murano glass?
In the stricter sense this term refers exclusively to hand-made glass products manufactured on the island of Murano. These may include anything from small figurines to the famous chandeliers.
In the broader sense the term “Murano glass” is often used merely descriptively and only indicating the type or style of glassblowing, the kind of design, ornamentation and coloration of the glass which are typical for Murano‟s art rather than the origin being Murano itself.
The second definition is subject to indefinite stretching and thus – fraud. Glass from China is being sold as “Murano glass”! Lead crystal is being sold as “Murano glass”! Even industrial production is being sold as “Murano glass”! This is why – when purchasing a product which is supposed to be from Murano – it is important to ask: “Is it made ON Murano OR on mainland?” rather than: “Is it Murano glass?”
However, even then you are still merely relying on somebody’s trustworthiness and hoping that the nuance of your question is not going to be lost in translation…
- How is Murano glass made?
The process is very complex and requires absolute accuracy. The glass is made of silica with various additions. It is heated up in special furnaces until red hot and completely liquid. As it cools down and slowly passes back to a solid state, the master glass blowers have a brief moment when they can be shaped.
Liquid glass lends itself to shaping only for a brief moment Streaks of solidified glass near a furnace
This can be done by blowing air into the glass through a long tube and/ or by shaping it by hand into particular shapes. It has to be said that “by hand” in these circumstances means using iron tools, as the glass is still glowingly hot!
Mouth-blown and then opened at one end with iron scissors The shaping of an ornamental flower
- What is so special about Murano Glass?
Murano glass products are world-famous for their exquisite quality, fabulous colors and unsurpassed craftsmanship. All those features can be easily observed with the naked eye with some training (later on in this document).
Secondly, there is Murano‟s unbelievable historic heritage. The glassmaking industry started to develop in the Venetian lagoon as early as the 9th century and was forced to move to the nearby Murano in 1291 for fear of fires, which were a major threat to the city‟s mostly wooden buildings. However, it has been plausibly suggested that the move was made in order to isolate the master glassblowers and prevent them from sharing their valuable glassmaking know-how with foreigners.
By the 14th century Murano glass was such a coveted commodity and such a huge commercial success that the glassmakers became the city‟s most prominent citizens. They were allowed to wear swords and even enjoyed immunity from prosecution by the Venetian state. Their daughters were allowed to marry into Venetian blue-blooded families. However, this came at a high price. The city wanted to keep the secrets of this extremely profitable trade to itself and forbade the glass masters to ever leave the small island. The glassblowers became virtual prisoners in Murano and there are rumors of assassins being hired by the state to chase any who dared to escape.
Venice, Rialto bridge as painted by J.M.W. Turner in 1820-1821 Ancient vase by Salviati dott. Antonio, 1885
Murano held a monopoly on quality glassmaking for many centuries, developing and refining many glass-working technologies. Today, the artisans of Murano are still employing these century-old techniques, crafting everything from glass figurines and tableware to the famous Murano glass chandeliers. The extremely wide range of pure colors that they can create is still looked at with admiration and envy by glassmakers from all around the world.
- How is colored glass created in Murano?
Colored glass is achieved by adding selected chemical compounds to the silica before or during melting. This requires incredible accuracy when it comes to proportions and timing. Many of the particular color shades are still secrets held by some factories and not shared with others, even within Murano! We know, for example, that aquamarine is created by the use of copper and cobalt compounds whereas ruby red requires a gold solution as a coloring agent. This is the reason why red and ruby chandeliers are always more expensive than the same models in other colors.
Large colorful chandeliers, especially those in the Rezzonico style, require a large number of colors to create, each mixed and molten separately. Since each furnace will work with only one color at a time, in a big vertebra (glassmaking factory) there may be many furnaces blasting away all at the same time on account of one chandelier! In a small one, with only one furnace, this chandelier will take much longer to make…
No parts of Murano chandeliers are ever painted! Even the most intricate ornamental flowers displaying many different colors are made by skilfully pressing together separate bits of semi-liquid glass in each color, and then shaping them by hand into flowers in this very brief window of opportunity before glass hardens and loses its plasticity. Should the window of opportunity close before the flower is ready, the unsuccessful parts are thrown away and the process begins anew – because Murano products have to be perfect.
- How to recognize Murano quality glass?
The highest quality glass is absolutely clear, free of air bubbles, smudges, or impurities. If you see a glass product that looks like it is dusty, try wiping the “dust” off. If it appears impossible, it means that the impurities are INSIDE. A chandelier made of this glass will never have the glamorous sparkle of a real Murano glass chandelier! It will always appear… well… dusty. However, an occassional air bubble is considered a positive attribute enhancing the product‟s uniqueness.
Transparent glass of Murano quality is also absolutely, superbly crystal clear, e.g. without any unwanted discoloration (typically green or grey). When Murano’s masters developed the technology to achieve this degree of perfect transparency in 1450, the whole world was awestruck. It was acclaimed as cristallo because it was clear like a crystal. However, it is important to emphasize, that it is NOT crystal. To this day the term „crystal‟ is used to describe clear Murano glass and this creates many misunderstandings!
Crystal-clear but never crystal: unsurpassed clarity of Murano glass
- What does “crystal” actually mean?
There are four meanings of the word “crystal”. To navigate easily in the world of jewelry and chandeliers you should understand the differences:
- The first and original meaning is the rock crystal (quartz), a natural crystalline mineral found in the Earth‟s crust. Some varieties of rock crystals are semiprecious stones and can be cut to imitate diamonds. They used to be popular in Europe and the Middle East for making jewelry. The photos show only transparent quartz, although many other colors occur naturally, the most famous being amethyst and rose quartz.
Natural rock crystal (quartz) Rock crystal beads Carved rock crystal vase
- Second, there is lead crystal which is achieved by adding lead oxide (PbO) to the glass. This addition increases the glass‟ ‘s light-breaking index, which means it can break light like a prism. The higher the percentage of PbO in the crystal composition, the more vibrant the colors reflected and refracted from it. To be advertised as crystal the European Union standards dictate that there must be a minimum of 24% lead contained within the product (it is called full-leaded crystal in America). In contrast, American standards recognize any glass that is clear as crystal regardless of the lead content. To compare; Swarovski crystal contains 32% lead oxide.
Traditional tableware Swarovski figurine Modern trophy
- Thirdly, there are rhinestones (strass). A rhinestone is a diamond imitation achieved by cutting lead-enriched glass and coating its lower sides with metal powder to enhance its brilliance. This method was developed by an Alsatian jeweller Georg Friedrich Strass and his surname became the name for rhinestone in many European languages. There are many possible uses for them ranging from jewelry, through fashion and interior design, to application on apparel and costumes (especially popular in ballroom dancing and amongst pop artists).
Rhinestone necklace and earrings Swarovski handbag Modern suspension
- Finally, there is also optical crystal which is the highest quality clear glass cut by extremely precise modern machines to enhance the light breaking index. This method is used increasingly for large suspensions because glass without any lead additions is considerably lighter. Swarovski Spectra line is a good example of an optical crystal.
Very large suspension Optic crystal and rhinestones 3D laser-engraved souvenir
- Is there any crystal made on Murano?
No. Neither of the above kinds of crystal has ever been made on Murano. What is sometimes referred to as “Italian crystal” is glass which Italians call cristallo, meaning crystal-clear, e.g. perfectly transparent. Such glass appears very noble, elegant, and light as a feather.
It has to be said at this point that it is indeed much lighter than lead crystal. Large chandeliers made of crystal glass have been known to lengthen because of the weight of the lead crystal stretching the metal clasps used to join the glass parts – a problem that is far less likely with Murano glass. Another advantage is that it does not bring about the health concerns associated with lead-enriched products.
- What is the difference between Murano glass and Venice glass?
There is none. The whole glassmaking industry of Venice moved to Murano in 1291. Those terms are historically interwoven and synonymous.
The confusion comes from the fact that there are “Murano glass” and “Venetian chandeliers”.
“Murano glass” refers to the quality of handmade glass products from Murano. Both traditional as well as contemporary designs are used today in Murano.
However, the term “Venetian chandeliers” refers to the particular styles of chandeliers which were very popular among the rich citizens of Venice over the centuries. Of course, they were typically made in Murano.
- What does a Venetian chandelier look like?
Venetian chandeliers were famous for their high-quality glass, unsurpassed craftsmanship, and fabulous colors, unachievable elsewhere in the world. The chandeliers were typically ornate with floral elements and rather colorful. The colours could be quite rich, but always semi-translucent, never opaque as it is fashionable today. Here are some examples of typical Venetian chandeliers popular in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries:
Popular Venetian designs from the 18th century
Popular Venetian designs from the 19th century
Popular Venetian designs from the 20th century
- Are all Murano chandeliers traditional?
No. On today‟s Murano both traditional as well as modern chandeliers are being crafted. The historical archives provide designs from the past while the power of imagination coupled with a creative spirit provide new ones:
Modern Murano chandeliers: fusion, art deco, funky, and even extravagant designs in absolutely highest quality
There is also a popular trend to use traditional designs with bold modern colors. A novelty is an opaque glass, which is completely not see-through:
Modern colors and opaque glass make those traditional beauties appear fashionable and somewhat contemporary
Many time-honored designs adapt gracefully to match our modern world. Technological advances made many innovations possible:
| 24 tiny and extremely environmentally | An addition of a fluorescent agent | A halogen lamp changes |
| friendly LEDs light this imposing | makes the chandelier glow even when | colours at the touch of a button |
| chandelier | switched off | on the remote control |
Murano chandeliers are about the past, the present, and the future. And most certainly a great investment in it!
We hope this report was informative and will help you make the right decisions.
If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact us.
We wish you a pleasant shopping experience!
