Sommerso means submerged and is a description of how this bead is made, small flecks of color, often aventurina (avventurina is the Veneziana spelling, while avventurina is the Italian spelling) are suspended inside transparent glass. It is a simple Venetian bead, usually less expensive but very popular. Venetian Glass Jewelry using these sommerso beads is popular even today. These were the beginning of the popularity of the Venetian Glass Beads.
Aventurina (aventurina, or avventurina) was discovered or actually first produced in Murano by the Miotti family sometime in the 1600's, the creation of which was so prized, The Doge gave an exclusive license to the family to produce aventurina.
Most likely produced in the melting pots of the furnaces by accident, aventurina is simply small suspended particles of copper and other minerals that attach to each other when the glass cools. It is also known as Stellaria. It gives many of our beads their bright sparkle, and works great with silver, gold, or copper-toned findings. |
