Murano glass jewelry is highly sought after throughout the world. The artisans that produce this jewelry are highly skilled and accomplished craftsmen with traditions dating back several centuries.

As with other kinds of glass, Murano glass is made from fine silica. The silica melts when exposed to high temperatures and becomes molten glass. After it hardens, it becomes solid glass. When glass is in its semi-molten state, it can be bent or shaped, stretched or packed, or hot worked in other ways.

To shape and work with glass as they do, the Murano glassmakers make use of special tools to get the job done. One of the main tools is the borselle, the name of the tongs, which are used to hand handle glass while in its molten state so that it can be formed, bent, and shaped accordingly. For creations which are meant to be containers, a tool called canna da soffio (blowing pipe) is used to blow the inside portion of the glass so it expands and adheres to the contour of its mold. The pontello is used with this tool to hold the glass while it is blown and after it is blown. It also makes it easy for the craftsman to add the final touches to the glasswork before it hardens thoroughly. The scagno is the glassmaker’s workbench. The final tool is the tagianti, a pair of clippers, which is used to cut through glass.

Having the right tools is not enough for anyone to work with glass as the Murano masters do. Hotworking glass is a very sensitive process, especially if your goal is to shape glass to create very attractive works of art. Considerable effort must be put into detail to make glass art look its best. If you wish to put things in perspective and learn just how difficult working with glass is, try heating up a small glass tube, then try stretching it evenly along its length without splitting the tube in two.