Little Gems

This page was created to educate my fans and customers about some of the materials I use in my designs. Check back frequently for new "nuggets" of information.

Millefiori (pronounced Mil-leh-fee-‘oh-ree) is an Italian word meaning “1000 flowers”. These are also commonly referred to as “mosaic beads”. This mosaic technique was developed in Murano, Italy by the 13th century. The two-step process involves using glass canes (or rods) with a pattern visible only from the ends of the canes. A cane is then heated in a furnace and pulled until thin and then sliced into small segments. These segments are then embedded onto a molten bead surface forming the mosaic pattern. Most patterns trace their history back to early Roman, Middle Eastern and Asian beads. (Data courtesy of statemaster.com and Wikipedia.com)

Cloisonne’ – (pronounced cloy-zuh-nay) comes from the French word “cloisonner” meaning “to partition”.Cloisonne’ is formed by soldering thin wires onto a metal object forming a pattern of wells or “cloisons”. These wire wells are then filled with a ground up enamel paste and then the object is fired in a kiln to set the enamel.Patterns range from simple floral designs to extremely elaborate designs of the Ming Dynasty in vases and serving pieces.

This method was developed primarily for jewelry in the ancient Near East and by the 14th century became popular in China. Russian cloisonne’ from the Tsarist era made by The House of Faberge is highly prized by collectors today. The majority of beads used today are made in China, however.