Millefiori Glass Beads Strand

Product Description: This is a strand of exquisite Millefiori beads.

Specifications:

• Origin: Venice
• Bead Count: 28 beads
• Main Bead Size: 15mm x 31mm
• Note: As these are antique items, they may have scratches, cracks, or chips.

About Millefiori:

Era: Late 1800s to early 1900s

Origin: Venice

Technique: Mosaic application method or mosaic embedding

In Africa, these beads are known as "Chachaso." The term "Millefiori" is Italian for "a thousand flowers." In response to the collapse of exclusive trade with the East and the dominance of Bohemian glass in the European market, Venice created these colorful decorative glass beads to revive its trade economy. Millefiori glass is a prime example of this effort. Traders, who already engaged in bead trading with Africa, crafted cylindrical glass beads from Millefiori glass and transported them to Africa as trade beads.