Ever wonder how Murano make the beautiful crystal chandelier that hang in all the great houses in the world? Believe it or not, they are still handmade in glass factories on the island of Murano, about 17 minutes from Venice, Italy. These century-old techniques are still used today to make Murano glass, which is some of the finest glass in the world. But chandeliers aren’t made from crystal. They are handmade from glass.
The glass making techniques used by the glass makers on Murano have held their secret to glass making for centuries. They were moved to the island of Murano in 1291 because there was a fear of their glass making furnaces would start a fire. They became famous throughout the world with the glass they made. No one could make glass vases, chandeliers, lamps or jewelry like the glass makers of Murano. Today, their glass is still much sought after. However, there are many who sell “Murano glass” that isn’t from the island.
There are several types of Italian chandeliers that are sold with the name of Murano, but they aren’t real glass from Murano. Chandeliers can be made with three different types of glass. The first is rock crystal, which is a natural mineral from the earth’s crust. They are sometimes used as imitate diamonds and are still used to make jewelry. They come in several colors from transparent quartz to amethyst to rose quartz. They are not made into Murano chandeliers.
The second is lead crystal where lead is added to the glass. It helps the glass break light into a prism of colors when struck with sunlight. It make is reflect and refract. Lead crystal is never used in Murano chandeliers.
The third type of crystal is a rhinestone or an imitation diamond. They cut them just like they do real diamonds but they are mostly used for fashion and interior design and on costumes, especially for pop artists and ballroom dancing costumes.
None of these crystals are using in making Murano crystal chandeliers. The word crystal clear came from the Italian word cristallo, which means crystal-clear. It was used when the glass makers of Murano created the first “crystal clear” glass in 1450. It was perfectly transparent. That means it didn’t have any flaws, bubbles, or smoking part in the glass. At the time, it was such an awesome technology because the glass was “clear like a crystal”. That word has led to many misunderstanding about Murano crystal chandeliers.
Although, there are many manufactures of glass products that claim they are Murano glass, you can tell real Murano glass from the sticker that is applied to the item. It can’t be taken off unless you break the item. When you’re looking for a vase, chandelier, glasses or jewelry made by Murano glass makers, look for the sticker. You’ll know it’s authentic and made on the island of Murano. This should be “crystal clear” to you before you purchase the item.