The millefiori are really very similar to one another - so I'm still not sure if the new beads are reproductions.

The second from the right in your lower photo has what has been described in the past as a 'brecciated' centre (Stef T will tell you by whom - possibly John Picard? - I can't remember). The one with the green, brown, white and blue murrini.

They are not common, even on Venetian beads, but they are a Venetian feature, and this one (at least) looks ok to me, as far as one can tell from a photo. I have several examples (which I can try and find) and Stef has some too.

Carole

Brecciated glass (imitating jasper and found in some millefiori canes) is discussed in my article posted here.

There is no word "murrini." The singular is "murrina," and the plural is "murrine" (three syllables).

At first glance, I would guess that all Rossanna's beads are Venetian, but not necessarily all old. Some may be later editions from Venice--they more resembling beads from the 1950s and later. I would want to see them in real life.

In any event, I have not yet seen any new additions of Chinese reproductions since the first wave from two years ago. As I have remarked, I wonder what happened to that industry (?). I suppose it's possible that they improved the appearance of their beads, and may have made them more authentic-looking. But this would also have to include using glasses that better resemble Venetian glasses (such as the opaque brick-reds). The first-edition Chinese millefiori reproductions were tumbled in abrasives to round-off their edges. Whereas many antique (or older) Venetian beads have sharp ends.

However, we may be coming to a time where these details might be meaningless--and we will have to look for more subtle clues to distinguish beads.

Jamey

For anyone genuinely interested, I learned about brecciated glass from the book by G. Mariacher, Glass From Antiquity To The Renaissance (1970). I read this book in about 1982 or '83. I have seldom had need to refer to it since then. Mariacher illustrates a number of pieces where slabs of decorated glass were used as inlays for furniture and the like—these having been made at Murano for this function. Breccia is essentially a kind of jasper, that has been (by nature and circumstances) broken and then "glued back together" by the additional deposition of a quartz mineral in the negative spaces.

Breccia glass is made by taking glass of one color, breaking it into fragments, and stirring these into a mass of glass of a contrasting color. I suppose this has to be done quickly and carefully, lest the sharp pieces of glass lose their character and become too blobby.

Brecciate glass in millefiori canes nearly always is used as the center of such canes. I don't know of any exceptions. (That is, where the technique was used for a different part of any particular cane.) In constructing a cane, the brecciated glass substitutes for plain glass in forming the central element of any type of hot-worked cane (layered, molded, or hybrid). The example I show is visually similar to any of the Chinese beads that also have brecciated centers, in-imitation of Venetian canes.

JDA.

P.S. Because he is a control freak, Kirk LOVES to find little chores for me to do, to waste my time--because he could not be less interested in anything he discusses here. I'm answering not for his benefit, but for any reader who really wants to know this stuff.

Breccia is not a type of jasper and it's not likely that the natural "glue" is a quartz mineral...more likely a calcium compound, like cement.

The centers of the MF don't look "brecciated" to me. Is the application of this term to MF your doing or can we blame someone else? The centers look marbly [euphemism for sloppy or careless] to me. Here's another sexy geology term that's probably better: porphyritic.

Thanks for the de-control! Can't wait to see "brecia" and "breciated" [misspelled of course] in eBay titles. Enthusiasts wouldn't be able to find such beads otherwise. Is this one? Is this one "brecciated"?

I cite a very acceptable source.

I published all this twenty-nine years ago--and it didn't upset anyone's apple-cart since then.

The 'matrix' of brecciated glass is not typically "clear" (as he says), but rather is white glass—but could be ANY contrasting color.

Any number of rocks can be brecciated. Jasper is just one typical stone, and one that appears commonly in jewelry contexts—and is readily available everywhere. The cementing material is NOT "calcium" for these purposes. (This is lunacy.) Such minerals would always be undercut when worked into ornaments. Typical gem-quality breccia has a practically uniform hardness.

It is ALREADY understood that porphyry and breccia are related. One name is not somehow 'superior' to the other. I've seen LOTS of porphyry as decorative stone—and brecciated jasper resembles the glass more than does porphyry. (See the link below.)

If Mr. Stanfield knew anything about minerals, beads, the bead marketplace, or the bead literature, he would not stick his foot in his mouth so often. Or perhaps he would. His sole purpose is to criticize, dismiss, and mislead any unfortunate audience who will listen to him for two minutes.

"Simply put, 'brecciated glass' would be angular chunks of glass embedded in or coated with ordinary... glass."

Yes. That's what I said--you dufus.

Mr. Stanfield delights In appropriating my work, and telling everyone it's his work, and his discovery—and, at the same time, tells everyone I am mistaken. It's hysterical!

JDA.

"Brecciated" seems totally inappropriate for MF bead centers [and a lot of other glass beads, except maybe some powder glass beads] when there are no angular fragments involved. If we're to use some geology analogy for MF, igneous or metamorphic would be better. Porphyry is igneous, kind of like your glass beads. Metamorphic would be useful also since the glass is heated up and deformed.

And again, are you the source of this 'brecciated' notion for the MF? Is that the appropriated work? Why would anyone want to appropriate something so obviously off base?

I just gotta laugh at you, pal! Maybe someone in the audience will vouch for your facts and work! Look up breccia again and look what the typical "cement" is in this sedimentary rock...it's not usually quartz. You're groping.

Tell me more about my 'mineralogy'. At a minimum, it was part of my education. Was it part of yours?

You're the king of the put-down.

The brecciated glass murrine are also used in the Chinese copies. You can see them on two examples from the seller in the link.
This company, for as far as I know, is also the company that first made the very close to the real deal Chevron copies, and also makes the millefiori copies. It is Lu Beads. No idea if they are making a great deal of beads, and if they can really compete. The prices are quite steep.

JDA.

I think Jamey has it right - there are going to be more subtle features on the reproductions that we all need to learn to recognize.

I'll be looking forward to passing these around at Tucson.

As I read the pricing structure, if you buy one to nine beads, they are $9.50 EACH, If you buy ten to forty-nine beads, they go down to $8.08 EACH. Etc., etc.

I think it's possible that Lu was the company selling Chinese chevron beads the first time I saw them offered for sale at Tucson. (However, not the earliest ones--these having been acquired by the Picards, and being faceted beads.) I'd have to check business cards to be certain.

Jamey

Millefiori Beads M114,sold per 10 beads

Mix and Match Price for You
1-9
$12.00

10-49
$10.20

50-199
$9.60

200+
$9.00

For me, "sold per 10 beads"
means sold per unit of 10 beads, so one unit of 10 beads is $12.00. A good deal.

As you say, [The brecciated glass murrine are also used in the Chinese copies. You can see them on two examples from the seller in the link.]

The search function on the Lu site brings back nothing when "brecciated" is searched.

Also, I have seen my share of people preferring stories over the truth. I remember discussing millefiori beads with a seller who stated that they were made in the colours of the flags of the explorering nations and brought along by Columbus. Sigh.
This is why I am glad I have been fortunate to go and visit the places beads are still made, and I can have a look for myself. Like on the Bapterosses site, of the Czech Republic. There is nothing like first hand experience. Touching, talking, seeing.

I have no experience with "newer Venetians" . My limited understanding was that Venetian millefiori beads that were made post WWII were much of brighter patterns and glossy. If there was a continuation of the "old" patterns, but with poorer workmanship, that would explain these beads as well. Or maybe they were made of slices from the 1920's- 30's by people who were not using the same exact techniques.

I'm going to see if I can find anything else about them from the seller.

Here is a close-up of the bead that has the "brecciated" pattern.

If we see a bead with bright colors (indicating selenium/cadmium glasses), this indicates that THESE beads postdate about 1920. It does not follow that beads that don't include these colors must be earlier (!). Some are and some are not. It's a positive generalization. Not a negative generalization.

It's NOT like "If 'A' is true, the opposite of 'A' must be false."

It's helpful to study sample cards. These show beads that were made and available simultaneously. Some show a mixture of color types. For instance, we can see that the color brick-red continued for a long time—even though it tended to be replaced by selenium red for some patterns.

Jamey