I read the post on Burano and with the description of glass blowing on Murano with interest. I will be in Venice the end of September. I make my own Venetian glass bracelets from beads I have purchased stateside and would love to buy some in Venice. Will I need to go to Murano to buy beads or will there be stores in Venice that sell them and if so, are they more expensive in Venice than in Murano? Do you recall any stores in particular. I only use gold foil square or retangular beads 10 mm. Thank you.

I can't say for sure about beads, but necklaces seemed cheaper in Venice than Murano. There are a few stores in Venice selling beads but they seemed pretty expensive, at least no cheaper than buying premade necklaces. Along the Rialto are some really nice stores and I bet they'd sell you beads if you ask.

Be sure that you buy from a reputable shop. Not all the beads you will see are from Murano--street vendors especially will sell beads made in Asia.

A reputable shop will tell you whether or not all of their beads are actually Venetian.

We recently bought beads from a store in the San Marco area, not far from the Rialto Bridge (near the only Burger King, actually). I don't recall the name of the place, but she had tons of styles, colors, etc., including gold foil (which is what I bought). The owner is also from Chicago, if that might help you find the place. Just offering an option if you can't find anything else, however, we did see several bead stores around Venice.

I have also read in a few guidebooks that the beads are cheaper in Venice, rather than Murano. Don't know how much truth there is to that, however.

Good luck in your search.

You will find Venetian glass trinkets in shops all over Venice, particularly around the main tourist areas of San Marco and the Rialto. Most of the genuine stuff is fairly expensive. You may be able to do a deal at any of the showrooms on Murano though. Beware however as even here not all the stuff is made on site. I mistakenly bought a perfume bottle (very daintly and beautiful) but found out later is was made in EGYPT!! I laugh about it now, but it was a little disappointing.

Statia, if I can find that store, it sounds like what I am looking for. It will be interesting to see if the prices are lower in Venice than I can get from my supplier here (they buy in bulk).

Good Luck, Ronda. Hope you can find the store. I'm sure there are many other bead shops, as well, and some may have more selection, but this particular place certaintly seemed to have a lot of variety to me (even gold foil in many shapes and sizes).

Be sure to let us know how it works out for you.

Antichita is a small shop in Dorsoduro on Calle Toletto (around the corner from the Accademia Hotel). They sell jewelry made of both antique and new beads as well as some individual beads. I recall they had quite a few gold ones. They seemed very reputable (they were quick to tell me something was new beads vs antique-I honestly could never tell the difference).

The best prices I saw (I wasn't in Murano) were near the Jewish museum in the Cannareggio. David's Shop (davidshop.com) is known for Judaica but down the street (& on the other side) they also have a shop with regular jewelery & also sell loose beads. I recall they were mostly multi-colored rather than gold, but they MAY have gold ones. You might be able to email them from their website & ask to save yourself a trip.

I can't remember if she sells beads, but the little shop right next to Hotel Ala guarantees that all of her merchandise is made in Murano. There are a lot of knock-offs elsewhere (and most of the lace in Burano is actually made in China!). I did not shop for beads at all, but other glass items (cocktail glasses, vases, paperweights) were a bit cheaper in Murano than in Venice.

What's the cost for, say the gold foil beads? Or a paperweight made in Italy?

I was looking at a site timeout.com under Venice for shops and services and under jewelry and watches they listed several bead shops.

Gold foil beads come in colors, but they have gold in their core. The price depends upon their size (and shape). The following is a good site but they do have a minimum purchase. I have listed the page that has square gold foil beads on it (scroll down). This company is in California!

http://www.venetianbeadshop.com/Merc...gory_Code=Cube

Hi Ronda,

I did a search on www.askjeeves.co.uk and this is a good site I came up with. Take a look. I know the url seems veryyyyyyyyyyy long, but honestly it does work. There are other sites listed but I haven't had a look yet.
Do you have pictures of your beadwork anywhere that we could take a look?
I hope you find what you are looking for. If you do find good shops, please post, and also after you come back from your trip. I will be going to Venice in april next year.

http://www.ask.co.uk/ix.asp?q=Bead+s...tml&adurl=

Mischka, thank you for all your work in searching for bead stores. No, I don't have a web site as it is only a hobby at this point. I make them for my sisters and special friends. If you like, e-mail me and I will send you a picture.

Thanks all for your interest in helping me research.

Ronda
[email protected]

Ronda, I thought of you when I came across this link. You might want to check it out.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguid...ramics_glass-i

HI Statia/Ronda

First I would like to thank Statia for shopping at my shop!! I have never been to this site before, a friend of mind told me to check it out, since I live in Venice, it would be interesting to see what people have to say......I was so surprised to see my shop mentioned!!!

I'm located in the San Marco district, here's my address: Atmosfera Veneziana, Calle Dei Fuseri, San Marco #4340....tel: 041-2413256....we are opened from 10-7:30 mon-sat. 11-6 Sundays.

Look forward to meeting you.

P.S. If you would like to see some bead photo's...please e-mail me at:

[email protected]

Ronda
Here are a few bead stores that I went to in June:

In Venice:
Perle e Donotri Calle della Mandola 3740 041 5205068

Calle della Bissa 5486 041 5225624

La Compagnia della Perle
SS. Apostoli 5622 041 5206969

Carte Luna
Calle della Rasse 4608 041 5230023

Not sure if they have the specific bead that you're looking for....but they have a great variety!!

Hi Ronda,
I was wondering if you found the beads you were looking for in Venice?
I'm heading off in March and have printed the addresses on this thread and will be looking them up, but just realised that we never heard how your trip was and if you found what you were looking for. Hope you'll post

"Atmosfera Veneziana" is an enchanted little glass shop that should not be missed by anyone looking for tasteful glass items and gift ideas. I mention this shop in an upcoming report I will soon post on this forum.

Thanks NYC. I'm looking forward to hearing more about Atmosfera Veneziana, do you know if they have beads?