The Birth Of Murano Glass Jewelry

"body">craftsmen and artisans - to the point that
Venice is known for many things - its canals, thedaughters of Murano glassmakers were allowed
gondoliers and the gondolas they drive, its piazzasto marry into the leading families of Venice itself
and cuisine and, most importantly to some, its(which would have been like a commoner being
glass products. Venetian glass is known world-wideallowed to marry into England's Royal Family in
for being elaborate, skillfully-made and intenselymedieval times).
colorful.Murano's glassmakers became an economic and
The most renowned of Venetian glass, however,commercial power because of the knowledge
is made on the island of Murano. It is here wherethey held. They were the only people who knew
the Venetian glass makers were relocated in thehow to make a mirror - a monopoly they held on
late 13th century. Through the years, the nameto for centuries. Aside from this, they developed
Murano glass has become a byword for qualityand refined glassmaking technologies such as
glass products, whether they are used as vases,crystalline glass, Aventurine (glass made with
chandeliers, or glass jewelry.threads of gold), smalto or enameled glass and
The Murano Glassmakers' Powerimitation jewelry made of glass.
Venice has been the center of the world's glassThe island held a virtual monopoly on quality
making industry for centuries, and was given aglassmaking for centuries, until Central and
major boost in 1204, when Byzantine glassmakersNorthern European glassmakers introduced new
who were then living in Constantinople fled theirtechniques and technologies around the time when
city when the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusadecolonists were migrating to the New World (16th
(1201-1204) attacked and sacked their city. TheCentury).
glassmakers set up shop in Venice (which had,Murano Glassmaking
coincidentally, financed the said Crusade) and wereMurano glass is manufactured using the
soon manufacturing high quality glass works in thelampworking technique, where the raw materials
center of Venice.for making glass (silica, sand, various minerals for
In 1291, the rulers of Venice, fearing that thecolor) are heated and fused together in
glass foundries were a hazard to Venetian homesrefractory ovens. Metal rods are dipped into the
which were mostly made of wood, ordered themolten glass by assistants, who wrap the liquid
glassmakers to move their factories to Murano,material on the metal rods and bring it to the
an island around a mile off the Venetianmaster craftsmen who form the final shape and
archipelago. The island was a declining city-state.style of the glass work.
Murano was reborn, however, with the transferThe shaping and finishing of the glass takes on
of the glassmakers to the island. By the followingvarious forms, from hand-blowing of the molten
century, the glassmakers were exporting theirglass to the use of molds and various tools to
products throughout Venice and the known world,shape the glass. The raw glass is taken and
and they became a considerable economic andturned into beads or rods, vases or paperweights,
commercial power in Venice. Murano glassmakersdrinking glasses and goblets by master
were among the city-state's most prominentglassmakers who undertake the task with
citizens, with privileges seldom bestowed onconsummate artistry and creativity.