Featured Millefiori ? Beads

Discussion in 'Jewelry' started by KSW, Aug 20, 2019.

  1. KSW

    KSW Well-Known Member

    Love to have your views on these beads please.
    Sadly only half a clasp to go on but look to have some age to them. Does anything date them?
    Good find?
    Every colour under the sun in them.
    They seem to be made up of Millefiori beads pressed together as there are some slight dips where you run your nail over a join.
    Heavy and lashings of gold glitter!
    Some beads such as the one with yellow have clear glass and swirls and some are completely opaque.
    Thanks as ever :)
    D91415B2-A56D-430C-889E-EE90F34FE6AB.jpeg 3D05C18C-1FA1-469F-B018-C65011DD2B17.jpeg 6FC39B2E-2227-43AA-A28F-8625BAF4364B.jpeg 9CCEFC32-464C-49A4-B6A7-C789C38D28AD.jpeg E72C0F83-6D81-4709-AFBF-998F833AC7B7.jpeg 7F7462C3-D917-4908-A308-21F1AB5F9986.jpeg F03DBAD7-1405-4981-9A70-D7E8B6B4CE29.jpeg
     
  2. tie.dye.cat

    tie.dye.cat Well-Known Member

    The gold glitter looks like what I've heard referred to as Aventurine Goldstone. I don't know if that's really the proper term, but you'll find plenty of listings if you use those words. It looks like some goldstone was ground up and applied in stripes around the beads.

    Can't say I've ever seen goldstone on millefiori beads, but it certainly adds to the "pop" of the beads. Very pretty.

    EDIT: Huh, I thought goldstone was a real stone, but apparently it's just glass.

    From Wiki: "Goldstone is a type of glittering glass made in a low-oxygen reducing atmosphere. The finished product can take a smooth polish and be carved into beads, figurines, or other artifacts suitable for semiprecious stone, and in fact goldstone is often mistaken for or misrepresented as a natural material."
     
    Bronwen, kyratango, KSW and 1 other person like this.
  3. KSW

    KSW Well-Known Member

    Thankyou TDC. That was very helpful when I added Aventurine into the search.
    It's coming up with 1920/30s and the name Antonio Vaccari. Any thoughts as to if I'm on the right track or not?
    I didn't know about Goldstone either. Just thought the designer got a bit glitter-happy!.
     
  4. Jivvy

    Jivvy the research is my favorite

    Technically, the little pieces are murrine - only when you put a bunch of them together do they turn into millefiori ("thousand flowers").

    The pressed together appearance makes me think they didn't spend enough time near a torch, but maybe that's a sign of who/when/where made them (I do not know).

    Aventurina/aventurine glass has been around and used in this way since forever. Or the 17th century. Something like that.

    I think for dating you'll need to rely more heavily on construction of the necklace and the findings.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2019
    tie.dye.cat, Bronwen, KSW and 2 others like this.
  5. Jivvy

    Jivvy the research is my favorite

    By "in this way," I mean as a top layer ribbon around the bead.
     
    Bronwen, KSW and kyratango like this.
  6. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Well, he did, and used goldstone to get the best glitterglass.:playful:
     
    KikoBlueEyes, Bronwen and KSW like this.
  7. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    There is also a version made using blue glass called, you guessed it, bluestone.

    Not my field, so throwing out a couple of other terms to ask if they're relevant to these beads. Cane glass? Lamp work?
     
    tie.dye.cat, KikoBlueEyes and KSW like this.
  8. Jivvy

    Jivvy the research is my favorite

    Murrine are slices of canes. Lampworking is glass done with a torch/flame, and yes, a torch was used with these.
     
  9. Jivvy

    Jivvy the research is my favorite

    This is a really good video that demonstrates the process of making a piece like this. The featured piece is much larger than a bead and uses a glory hole (furnace) and blow pipe, but the process is still very similar.

    CAVEAT: I did not listen with sound on, but it has captions and they were fine. ;)

     
    Bronwen and Any Jewelry like this.
  10. Jivvy

    Jivvy the research is my favorite

    And here is ONE way to make murrine. (Again, I did not listen with sound on.)

    Still looking for a good (short) video on the bloody difficult way I know of making canes (stacking stringers), but haven't found one, yet.

     
    Bronwen, i need help and Any Jewelry like this.
  11. KSW

    KSW Well-Known Member

    Amazing skills!
    Thankyou for posting those videos.
    I picked these up today for £1. Sadly one is broken but they give an insight into their construction. Quite big 1.5-2cm per bead.
    Again glass and very heavy and some age to them. Any thoughts on their origin or construction?
    2F61CDF4-710D-481B-9AA9-A32CDB72370A.jpeg CE04DB30-E14C-44B0-B1D4-A81B683F761E.jpeg 231F9CE4-99D2-481C-94F1-96EFAD9D3043.jpeg
     
    Bronwen, i need help and Any Jewelry like this.
  12. Jivvy

    Jivvy the research is my favorite

    One more on the millefiori -- not on the cane making, but REALLY good pics that show bead construction.

    https://venetianbeadshopblog.com/2016/08/11/making-of-a-millefiori-bead/comment-page-1/

    So, for the new ones... there are rods of glass called stringers. They come in a variety of diameters down to Wow-That's-So-Skinny.

    With a ball of molten glass on a mandrel, touch the tip of a fine stringer to it and that makes those little bits of color.

    .5mm stringers:

    temp01.jpg
     
  13. KSW

    KSW Well-Known Member

    Would they be Italian as well?
     
    Bronwen likes this.
  14. Jivvy

    Jivvy the research is my favorite

    I'm better with technique than place, but "Venetian" is often a good guess when it comes to vintage glass beads.:joyful:
     
    Bronwen, KSW and aaroncab like this.
  15. KSW

    KSW Well-Known Member

    And I can follow it up with a very confident 'Or Czech' which makes me sound as if I have a clue what I'm talking about :hilarious:
     
    Bronwen and Jivvy like this.
  16. Jivvy

    Jivvy the research is my favorite

    Oh yeah, I would go with Venetian for lampwork pieces and Czech for pressed/molded pieces.

    If all else fails, go with German. :hilarious:

    (someone will be along shortly to lecture us :bucktooth::joyful:)
     
    KSW and Bronwen like this.
  17. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    I think they scream Italian/Venetian. Think they qualify as confetti glass more than many things that turn up in a search.

    Happens occasionally with cameos too, that damage gives knowledge. Who would have thought the core would have that spongy look. Imagine how heavy they would be if solid glass. Hope one of the glassies will drop by & enlighten us further.
     
    KSW likes this.
  18. Jivvy

    Jivvy the research is my favorite

    I think that's only true on the part where the mandrel was and I think it's most likely from a "bead release" solution. Bead release is a thick coating applied to the mandrel and it can be the source of many a problem (too thick, too thin, not properly mixed, cured, etc).

    Problems that can easily cause a cracked bead down the road.
     
    KSW and Bronwen like this.
  19. Marko

    Marko Well-Known Member

    I have never seen milifiori beads with adventurine drizzle.... I love them!
     
    KSW and Bronwen like this.
Draft saved Draft deleted
Similar Threads: Millefiori Beads
Forum Title Date
Jewelry Real or Knockoff Millefiori Beads? Apr 14, 2023
Jewelry These are polymer clay "millefiori style" beads right? Jan 22, 2021
Jewelry Vintage Millefiori With large cane beads. Feb 27, 2020
Jewelry Are these millefiori beads? Jul 26, 2019
Jewelry Thoughts on this Millefiori necklace Jan 10, 2022

Share This Page