The Story Of Murano Glass

The Murano glass is made up of 70% silica sand, added to a 30% of other substances called “fluxes” and "stabilizers" (soda and lime). These added “fluxes” allows the glass to be melted at a lower temperature, and the "stabilizers" prevent the glass's solubility in water. When the glass melts at a lower temperature, it is possible to create homogeneous and bubble free Murano glass. The Murano glass in its basic composition is colorless. The colors are obtained by adding small amounts of minerals, oxides, and chemical derivatives to the base composition of the glass powder. This is the Murano magic that creates infinite combinations of transparent colors, crayons and alabasters.

Colors, techniques and materials vary depending upon the look a glassmaker is trying to achieve. Aquamarine is created through the use of copper and cobalt compounds, whereas Ruby Red uses a gold solution as a coloring agent.