The "sometimes with amazing accuracy" reflects my own enthusiastic interpretation of what I've seen when looking at Venetian vs. earlier beads in person or in print. In fact I may be the first person to use this phrase! ;-)

As far as other authors pointing this out - I'm sure you are familiar with the many mentions of the copying, similarities, etc. of ancient vs. Venetian beads. A quick run through my library found that back in the 70s this is mentioned in the cover story of The Bead Journal, Fall 1974.

My favorite romp through "Islamic Era" glass beads where many striking examples are shown, is Panini's "Middle Eastern and Venetian Glass Beads" (2007). Page 164 has a nice illustration of a Middle Eastern vs. Venetian millefiori tabular bead. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject despite the fact that it's expensive - currently the cheapest used copy is $192 from an AbeBooks UK seller.

In fact I would ask in return - are there any current disputes about a strong relationship between Venetian bead designs and earlier Middle Eastern beads?