Artisan Murano Glass Gold and Silver Leaf Necklace in Blue and Purple Tones
This 18.5" necklace in blue and plum tones is made of large lentil-shaped and oval 24K gold foil blue Murano beads with Aventurina, combined with small silver leaf plum-colored 6mm Murano glass spacers. The tiny 2.5mm gold Czech glass spacers separate and protect the beads.
"Tree-bark" gilded box clasp completes the necklace.
The large lentil-shaped Murano glass beads with floral design are 17x12 mm, similar design oval Murano glass beads are 23x13mm, and the plum-colored Murano spacers are 7mm in diameter.
About Murano Glass:
The Venetian island of Murano has been the home of the fabled Venetian glassmakers since the 13th century. The glassmaker’s guild closely guarded the secrets of the trade, and for centuries Murano dominated the European glass market. Henry VIII was among the many august collectors of Murano glass, which was highly popular with European nobility. Peaking in the 16th century, the dominance of Murano glassmakers gradually declined giving way to new technologies developed in England, Bohemia, and Prussia. After Napoleon’s conquest of Venice at the end of the 18th century, Venetian glassmaking became unprofitable, and the glass-making trade went into a sharp decline, with few remaining glassmakers making mostly beads. By the end of the 19th century, there was a strong effort to revive the ancient trade in Murano, and today local artisans keep the secrets of the ancient trade alive.
