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Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Murano & Italy Glass => Topic started by: tonyatl on July 18, 2010, 07:14:37 AM

Title: is murano glass really immaculate? my doubts
Post by: tonyatl on July 18, 2010, 07:14:37 AM
it is bandied about as an immutable truism that murano glass is flawless, impeccable, and without bubbles. yet here is a link to an ever so fabulous murano vase which seems to show bubbles of the uncontrolled kind especially inthe light blue sections.

http://www.moltabellaglass.com/items/954145/en4store.html

would anyone care to tell me what really is true about murano glass and bubbles? no one can deny the divinity of this murano vase yet i see bubbles.
Title: Re: is murano glass really immaculate? my doubts
Post by: kane_u_pain on July 18, 2010, 08:03:45 AM
Nothing to be concerned about...some quality pieces have none...some have a few...such is the nature of hand made pieces...  ;D
Title: Re: is murano glass really immaculate? my doubts
Post by: TxSilver on July 18, 2010, 12:36:32 PM
I have never heard Murano is flawless. And I definitely know it is not true, particularly for Murano made before 1960. Old Murano glass often has bubbles and furnace ash in it. I like seeing the furnace ash because it's a sign the piece is older.

The thing that Murano glass is known for is its long-lasting clarity. It is something to do with the sand that is used there.
Title: Re: is murano glass really immaculate? my doubts
Post by: tonyatl on July 18, 2010, 08:23:57 PM
there is an ehow article claiming that true murano is flawless and if it is not then the item is a fake....and some sellers report every last glass bubble as though it were a defect - because the assumption is that true murano does not have bubbles...

of course the idea seems nonsensical but i see the claim so often i wanted to see what murano collectors and dealers believed about the subject.
Title: Re: is murano glass really immaculate? my doubts
Post by: TxSilver on July 18, 2010, 10:13:15 PM
Dumbest idea I ever heard. I would have been ashamed to publish such silliness.

If someone is looking for perfection, art glass should be avoided. The closest I've seen to perfection is Tiffany, and even it has flaws.

I once sold a latticino bowl on eBay. The person who bought it wanted to return it because it had all these forming cracks and horrible things about it. I didn't know what to expect when I got it back -- it must have been beat up in the mail. It came back to me in perfect shape. I realized the buyer was a novice that was used to machine made glass. He thought the latticino cane margins, bubbles, and furnace ash were signs the bowl was disintegrating. I checked his feedback and saw he bought contemporary, fake Murano and European crystal. He didn't know what to expect from vintage art glass.