What are Millefiori Beads?

Millefiori Is an Italian word meaning " a thousand flowers". Although these beads are know as Millefiori in the U.S., in Venice (and more specifically in Murano where they are made) they are mainly known by the name Mosaic. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica the word millefiori actually refers to a type of glassware with flowerlike patterns. The millefiori bead took its name in the U.S. from this type of glassware that utilizes the same basic design - the millefiori chip or murrina as it is called in Italian.

The making of a millefiori bead is actually a two step process involving two completely different craftspeople. The first process is the making of the mosaic cane, which is done in the glass factory. This is the more difficult of the two processes. The mosaic slices or chips of this cane are sold to the beadmaker by weight. The word in Italian for this millefiori chip or slice of cane is the murrina. (However, the word is most often used in its plural form - murrine.)

The second part of the beadmaking process is the actual making of the bead. Utilizing the murrine, the beadmaker places the chips onto a wound glass core at his discretion. The designs and color combinations of the murrine are extremely varied.

Stay tuned to more information about Millefiori - they have been made for 600 years.

(This information came from "Millefiori Beads from the West African Trade, Volume VI, Picard)