Did you know beads have been made of glass for over 5,000 years? The discovery of fire was the fundamental step in glass bead making. Glass bead-making had been going on in or around Venice throughout early history.

In 1292, the glass factories were relocated to the island of Murano both to reduce risk of fire to the city, and to protect the secrets of creating glass. This secrecy was very important to the city and by 1490, glassmakers were under penalty of death for either revealing these secrets or leaving and starting business elsewhere. Some glassworkers did relocate elsewhere, and there are other areas, such as Spain, that were making beads.

However, the main production center seems to clearly have been Venice. The Venetians maintained their bead monopoly well into the 19th century, until the Bohemian region’s (Czechoslovakia and Germany) bead industry began to gain momentum.

By the early twentieth century Czechoslovakia took over the task of being the world’s most prolific bead supplier, a title they still hold today. Venice on the other hand, has also maintained its bead-making status, producing much of the worlds finest, most sought-after and recognizable designs. As one can see immediately upon arriving in Venice, the bead and glassmaking industry is alive and thriving.

The production of glass beads is a heritage that spans millennia. Different means and methods have been discovered, some to be lost again and again.

But the fact remains – beads have been and remain – an important source of creative, artistic expression. Many cultures use beads as distinctive elements of personal clothing and adornment and beaded jewelry can be seen in the pages of every upscale fashion magazine.