Sunlight glinting off the canals of Venice is captured inside each handmade glass bead of this brilliant necklace. Luminous 18k gold leaf makes this multistrand statement seem light as air. Handcrafted by members of a fourth-generation Venetian glass studio who specialize in lavorazione a lume, or lampworking.
The Venetian island of Murano has been home to some of the world's most famous glass studios since the 13th century. Because of the risk of fire, the Venetian government moved all glass studios from the center city to this island where techniques flourished and evolved for more than 700 years in a concentrated community of highly skilled artists. During the Renaissance, Venetian glass was so essential to the economy that glassmakers were forbidden to communicate their techniques to anyone outside of their guild. Some of the original 13th century kilns are still in use today at studios that have passed from maestro to apprentice for centuries.
