Necklace, Silver and antique trade beads, black long

This necklace comprises rare 17th century Venetian glass millefiore beads. The name milllefiore means “a thousand flowers” in Italian, and relates to the technique of creating the glass-in-glass flower images. Pictures were created in cross section using long coloured glass cane rods which were then sliced through to reveal the image. These slices were laid around a central glass core and then all fused together by heat to create beads. These beads became known as trading beads because they were used to trade gold, minerals, ivory and even slaves from West Africa at a time when glass was unknown there. The beads were highly prized by African chiefs who used them as adornment to demonstrate their wealth and power. They effectively became currency and were the basis of Venice's great power and wealth from the 16th century. Glass became so valuable that the Venetian noblemen who controlled the trade moved their workshops from Venice to the island of Murano to maintain their monopoly and their secrets. Glass makers were forced to live and work on Murano, and were forbidden, under penalty of death, to divulge the secrets of glass making or to leave and set up their own workshops elsewhere! The silver used in the necklace is handmade in Egypt using an intricate granulation technique.
Length: approx 75 cm / 29 inches