Murano Glass, VDA

How to recognize the authentic Murano glass.

Murano glass is an artistic material of great value. As a result of the skilled work of professional master glassmakers, keepers of an ancient, artisanal tradition handed down from one generation to the next, Murano glass has become the symbol of history and art of Venice since ancient times, as we saw in the previous articles.

In Murano, in Venice and in the neighbouring areas there are various furnaces and manufacturing of Murano glass artistic creations. Although it has existed for centuries, glass processing has not changed: despite the technological progress, the processing of this precious material has remained purely artisanal, and it is precisely by the skilled hands of masters that the vitreous material transforms into a work of art, guided by the masters’ creative flair.

It happens more and more often around the world to come across shops selling glass items pretending to be authentic Murano glass products. Murano glass is an artwork, born of hard artisanal work: peddling fakes for these artistic creations is degrading as well as offensive both for the professionalism of the masters glassmakers and for the tradition and history of Venice.

Here some tips on how to recognize the authentic Murano glass.

Pay attention to the price

Murano glass is a luxury item: it is not affordable for all budgets. A handcrafted and artistic creation in Murano glass has a price coherent with the production work. In addition to glass, the masters also use other precious materials for decorations, such as gold leaf, silver leaf, or platinum, which, like glass, have a very specific cost. It is therefore not possible for an object in Murano glass to cost a few euros: in this case it is clearly a matter of low style imitations.

Irregularities and imprecisions

Every creation in authentic Murano glass is unique and unparalleled because it is rigorously hand-made. Therefore, it is impossible to find two perfectly equal hand-made objects: very often, a Murano glass work has an irregular shape, imperfections or bubbles inside.

Certificate of authenticity

To protect Murano glass, the Veneto region has established an official collective mark that certifies the origin of glass products. The trademark Vetro Artistico® is legally recognized with the law n.70 of December 23rd 1994, and, since 2001, managed by the Consorzio Promovetro. However, many producers, including VDA Borella, independently certify their own creations precisely to guarantee a vast selection of Murano glass works; moreover, many artists have never participated in the consortium described above and many of their works, made before its foundation, do not bear the official mark. VDA Borella, like other self-employed artisans, for each product always issues a certificate of authenticity and origin that certifies its geographical origin and the high standards of craftsmanship.

The artistic creations of VDA Borella combine Murano glass with another luxury item, i.e. stabilised roses and lichen. These natural elements, protected by stabilisation, present a manufacturing process that requires the same patience and dedication as glass: indeed, as well as the glass, for these flowers and for these plants the price cannot be low. To protect its luxury creations, VDA Borella has registered the design that sees the union of Murano glass with stabilised roses as well as stabilised lichen, moss and other stabilised vegetal.

Have you understood how to recognize the authentic Murano glass? Take a look at our artistic collections.