The Venetian conteria

The etymology of the term “conteria” almost certainly derives from the ancient “contigia” which means ornament.

Originally the term conteria meant any type of glass bead; it is from the early 1900s that this word is used to indicate pearls that are obtained exclusively from the cut of a perforated reed.

The “Conteria” beads are produced in thin monochromatic rods which are subsequently cut. So many tiny cylinders are obtained that they are rounded, in the heat of the furnace, inside metal containers in rotating motion. Some conterie beads are even smaller than a millimeter in size. They are used for embroidery, to make floral compositions using thin iron wire, for necklaces and for small evening bags. These precious beads, even if blatantly copied by companies from Eastern Europe and China, can still be found of excellent quality and of certain and certified origin at very few companies in Murano.

La Fondazione snc produces necklaces with beads made in Venetian Conteria in certified Murano glass of different shapes, colors, and sizes.