Murano Trade Beads

Murano’s glassmakers had a monopoly on high-quality glassmaking for centuries, developing or refining many manufacturing techniques including enamelled glass (smalto), glass threaded with gold (avventurina), multicolored glass (millefiori), etc.

The most famous model was the chevron or rosetta, a glass cane bead with multiple layers of alternating colors, usually white, blue and red, fabricated since 1496 when Dutch merchants exported them to West Africa for trading purposes. Chevron beads were highly prized by African people who continue donning them on ceremonial occasions.