Design Resource
Glass Making - Purdilnagar, Uttar Pradesh
Glass - The Exquisite Material
by
Millefiori Beads
Making of Millefiori bead is a multi-step process which involves the production of glass canes or rods with multicolor pattern called murrine. These multi layered rods contain layers of semi liquid glass paste which is applied one on top of another, which is looped on to a cylindrical rod. These layers are molded in the shape of star or flower having different colors at each level. Once these rods are molded, they are then transferred to the furnace for further heating. The artisan then heats up this glass mixture or mold, while it is still in a molten state to bond the murine surface inside the furnace. After heating, these murine rods are subjected to constant pressure using a special kind of trowel to create a continuous Millefiori surface with no gas. In the final stage these pre heated murine rods are pulled to make a thin rod, without tampering the cross sectional design. Then these thin rods are cooled and further cut or broken down to form cylindrical beads.
