"Murano" and "Venetian glass" are among the most copied words in design, and much of what is sold under them online is moulded or mass-produced far from Venice. We blow and assemble glass every day in our workshop on the mainland of Venice, so here is how we would check a piece before buying it.
1. Ask who made it, and where
Venice moved its glass furnaces to the island of Murano in 1291, and the techniques born there are still practised by master glassmakers across the Venetian area, on the island and on the mainland. Words like "Murano style" or "Italian glass" on their own tell you nothing. A real seller can tell you exactly which workshop blew the glass, where, and where the piece was assembled. If the answer is vague, treat the piece as an imitation.
2. Ask for a certificate of origin
For an expensive piece, a serious maker gives you a written certificate that describes the piece, the technique and where it was made. Keep it with your invoice: it is your record of what you bought. Every Solo Cose Belle piece ships with a certificate of origin from our workshop.
3. Small imperfections are a good sign
Hand-blown glass is never perfectly uniform. Look for tiny air bubbles, slight differences in thickness and colour from one element to the next, and a pontil mark where the glass was held by the iron. Identical pieces with machine-perfect edges usually come from moulds.
4. Know the techniques by name
A seller who knows the craft will name the traditional Murano techniques: graniglia (a granular, frosted texture), poliedri and triedri (faceted crystal blocks), rigadin (fine ribbing), tronchi (trunk-shaped glass tubes), sommerso (layers of colour cased in clear glass).
5. Be realistic about the price
A hand-blown wall sconce takes hours of furnace work by a master and an assistant, plus assembly and wiring. That is why hand-blown Venetian wall lights usually start at a few hundred euros, and chandeliers run into the thousands. A large chandelier for €150 is not a bargain: it is almost certainly not hand-blown.
6. Buy from someone who answers questions
Ask for extra photos, measurements, the weight of the piece and how it will be packed. Ask whether custom sizes or a matching pair are possible. A workshop will answer in detail; a reseller of mass-produced pieces usually will not.
Quick checklist
- The workshop that blew the glass is named, with its location
- A written certificate of origin from the seller
- Small bubbles and irregularities, a visible pontil mark
- A technique you can name
- A price that reflects hours of handwork
- A seller who answers every question
See the pieces
Browse our wall sconces and chandeliers. Every piece is blown and assembled by hand in our workshop on the mainland of Venice, and we are happy to send extra photos or details before you buy. Write to us at info@solocosebelle.it.
