Murano glass is made on the small island of Murano in the heart of Venice. The tradition of making glass in Italy stretches back a long time, there is evidence to suggest that it has been made since the 7^th century and perhaps before. Venice has been an important trade port for centuries. It is positioned on the East coast of Italy and this centralised location has made it one of the most vibrant multicultural cities in Europe. The historical importance of Venice as a melting pot for the expertise and craft of travellers from all over the world cannot be understated. It is from this cacophony of cultural voices that one of their most treasured exports was created.

During turbulent times the glass-makers of Venice were ordered to move their foundries to the island of Murano, in part to protect the mainly wooden city from the danger of fire. Within one hundred years the glass-makers had become the most prominent citizens of Murano and almost half of the islands population were involved in the production of the beautiful glass work. The glass-makers were accepted into the upper echelons of society and found that their talents enabled them to have much greater power and wealth than they could have anticipated.

The reasons that they were so highly prized by society were that they could make things that others could not. For example they were the only people in Europe who could make glass mirrors and who had the skill to make multi coloured glass. The Republic of Venice recognised the advantage of keeping the glass makers close to home, so they were in fact forbidden from leaving the Republic at risk of having their hands cut off or being assassinated.

The prestige of the island's glass workers grew and grew. Today Murano glass is produced on the island and exported all over the world. Everything is made by these expert craftsmen, including chandeliers, wine glasses and jewellery. Much of the process is still done using traditional methods. The intricate nature of many of the pieces makes the nature of their construction almost incomprehensibly complicated. The different colours of the glass are created by the introduction of other agents into the glass. Copper, gold and cobalt are three examples of the type of colouring substances that are used by Murano glass-makers. The affect that is commonly seen in jewellery is achieved by the blowing of glass over thin layers of gold, silver and copper foil. The iridescent qualities of the metal foil creating an intricate and appealing look which also guarantees that each piece is slightly different to any other.

murano glass jewelry is beautiful, the age old techniques that are used to create it have been perfected over the years. The jewellery is often brightly coloured with different luxurious foils running just beneath the surface creating a desirable, stunning affect that is in keeping with this seasons key trend of vibrant colour drenched jewellery.