Today, the topic of our conversation will be Murano glass. What this is known to many people is the elite material from which jewelry, chandeliers, household items, and souvenirs are made. And how is glass itself produced, why is it called that way, and when did it first be used? Let's figure it out!
A bit of history
Amazing Murano Glass! What is it - we will tell later. Glassworks of the island of Murano, near Venice, began to be produced around the twelfth century. The material, recognized as elite in the seventies of the twentieth century, from the very beginning of its appearance was special. Glass is really unique, because the technique involved the use of blowing and painstaking handwork of the master. Production secrets were kept in the strictest confidence, passed from father to son. Masters who knew how to make Murano glass lived and worked on the island. There was even special supervision, which ensured that they did not tell a secret to a stranger, and all the more so that they did not leave the country.
Glass and some craft knowledge came from the East into the Venetian Republic itself. Realizing how beneficial glassmaking could be, the government set up businesses on the island to keep the secret a secret, as well as to protect the city from possible fires. Therefore, Murano glass has another name - Venetian.
Features of unique material
Murano glass, a photo of which can be found in our article, is very beautiful. For a long time, the Republic of Venice held a monopoly on its production. Secret police brutally persecuted the fugitive masters, and the secrets of the ingredients were known to individual families. Over time, the material changed, improved, but the traditions of production remained unchanged: products are still made by hand, without conveyor assembly, injection molding machines and economical technologies. But each little thing carries a piece of the soul of a great master.
A bit about technology
Now the reader knows what Murano glass is, what it is. Next, we will understand the terminology and production techniques.
Technique Vetro (Vetrofusione) allows you to get laminated glass with beautiful tints and flowing colors from one to another. As a rule, these are thin transparent or colored layers of glass mass, the highest-quality foil (gold or silver), twigs of zanfiriko or latticino, murrina flowers. The last is a layer of colorless material, pure and shiny. All components are fused at a temperature of 800-850 ° C, so that the product acquires a bizarre ornament, voluminous, with a unique order and an intriguing radiance. Murano glass, a photo of which can be seen on this page, cools down for a long time and only then goes to shops.
A bit of terminology
Murrina is not just Murano glass. What it is? This is a mosaic product, which in cross section has an ornament of a flower, star, circles or ovals of different shades. First, a multilayer rod is made, which creates a sectional pattern. And then it is cut into plates and introduced into a glass mass. Stiffening, the mass is a motley masterpiece that amazes with its beauty and color palette. The technique is also called millefiori, that is, a thousand flowers. Such Murano glass products are often used for making jewelry and jewelry.
Filigree. Murano glass, the jewelry of which even today are worn by world-class stars, is very diverse. Filigree is a type of glass that represents a solidified transparent mass, inside of which multi-colored threads are intertwined with a regular mesh or in a chaotic manner.
Latticchino. The name of this variety of the product translates as "small milk shores." Such glass from Murano consists of frosted rods of white or any other shade, twisted together in a spiral. Externally, the product, which can be polychrome or monochrome, resembles candy candy.
Zanfirico. This is a semi-shaped work technique, very laborious and complex. Provides for the final stage of coating a glass product with a dense glass twist.
A lume (lume). This technique allows you to produce objects of various shapes from Murano glass - fruits, flowers, stars, people, animals. As a rule, products are not hollow inside and are small in size, made from a single piece. Amazing beads are also blown using this technique.
Decoration technique
Murano glass, whose decorations will not leave anyone indifferent, impresses with its decor and luxurious appearance. It goes well with elements of stone, metal and wood, therefore it is widely used in interior design, jewelry manufacturing.
Venetian glass is often decorated in the following ways:
- Crackling - the product is heated, and then sharply cooled and heated again. Due to this, air bubbles appear and are arranged in a chaotic order in the glass mass.
- Cristallo - glass from Venice, which is distinguished by its crystal clearness and natural play of light.
- Aventurine glass from the island of Murano has brown and yellowish tones, and on its surface, various point inclusions of copper are distinguishable. They create an original lighting effect, for which such decor is highly appreciated.
Murano glass: jewelry
Widely used glass from the island of Murano in jewelry. Jewelry made with soul under the hot Italian sun has many admirers all over the world. Today, this material is used to produce beads, pendants, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, sets, wrist watches, hairpins and combs for hair adorn it with inserts . The latest fashion trend is to weave Venetian glass beads into Pandora-style bracelets.
Glass jewelry made according to ancient rules and traditions is very bright, beautiful and original. Not a single fashionista can resist them, not a single woman will refuse such a gift. Of course, some people will say that the cost of ordinary glass jewelry is too high. But here we must argue: Murano glass with its layering, interspersed with expensive metals and a fantastic play of light can not be called ordinary. This is a true masterpiece worthy of the queen herself!
How not to buy a fake?
Real Venetian glass, which is highly regarded throughout the world, is produced only on the island of Murano. Products produced by local craftsmen have the Murano Glass brand, which is not washable or tearable. Formio Factory, which is one of the few manufactured products from the famous material since 1959, provides a certificate of quality for each unit of goods.
A feature of glass products from Italy is that they do not lose their colors under the influence of the sun, on their surface there is not a single flaw or roughness. If these are lamps and chandeliers, then they have a reliable mount.
In order not to waste money on a fake, it’s good to choose a store that sells original products from the island of Murano. You can also go to Italy and buy Venetian glass there yourself - so you definitely will not fall for the bait.
Instead of an afterword
Were it not for this famous glass in the world, we would have lost a lot. Of course, we could have managed without it - no one has canceled ordinary glass. But as regards its high artistic and aesthetic value, here, as they say, there are no competitors.