Italian Millefiori

Millefiori means Thousand Flowers. These little glass jewels have been made by glass craftsmen in Murano, Italy since the 15th century. The patterns in millefiori resemble the patterns in old-fashioned Christmas candy because the method of making the pattern is similar. Millefiori is made from tiny glass rods arranged together in a bundle to form cross-sections of swirls, stars and flowers. Once the pattern is arranged, all the glass rods are fused together into one larger rod with a gas torch, the rod is stretched thin, and then the rod is cut into sections that are millefiori. Our millefiori can be used as eye-catching accents in mosaic picture frames, votive candle holders and mosaic sculptures, as well as in pictorial mosaics. The diameter of each piece ranges between 8 and 12 mm (5/16 inch to just under 1/2 inch). The thickness varies roughly around 1/8 inch, which makes the material usable with both our vitreous glass mosaic tile and smalti, however don't expect the surface to perfectly flush. This isnt a problem. Many of Joes mosaics at the gallery were made from mixed materials of different thickness. It only requires a little more care in grouting.)