Murano glass in Italy

Are there knockoffs??? All I know is all over Rome, southern Italy, every street stand was selling Murano glass jewelery. It was cheap and beautiful. We bought a dozen pieces for gifts. I am sure it is all from Murano, China -- but it does look very good. I have no idea how to tell the difference.

Genuine Murano glass is signed by the artist and carries a logo.

Ultimately, the choice of art glass is a personal one. If you love it, buy it.

If it must be genuine Murano, go to the island, learn the identifying marks and choose from there.

Beware of offers of "free" rides to Murano. That's a racket of the worst commercial factories and their paid agents. If you don't buy something, you're on your own to get back home.

Are there knockoffs? Unfortunately the market is flooded with them. All over Italy, and now even some of the venetian shops are selling the chinese stuff because they cant compete with the prices for the real murano.

The chinese murano is usually priced around 5 Euros per piece (pendants, rings etc) while murano can be about three times as much for similar items. If you put the two side by side, especially in natural sunlight you can really tell the difference. True Murano glass should also have a stamp on the bottom, although some of the cheaper more commercial murano will not, even though it may be genuine.

Try to find real Murano, there really is a difference and you will be supporting the Italian artisans who are struggling due to this cheap imitation stuff.

This is a very reputable and fairly high-end store that sells designs by Carlo Moretti. You won't find junk here.

http://www.lisola.com/

They are located west of St. Mark's square in the designer clothing district. There are other high-end stores in St. Mark's square, but those are quite expensive. You will see other "Mom and Pop" touristy stores all over the place, but unless you are into junky glass animals and clowns, etc...you might want to steer clear of these.

Thank you for all the great info. Arrived in Venice today and you are right....murano glass (one type or another) is all over the place. Taking a rest from our discovering of Venice, having a glass of wine, and then out to dinner. Grazie!!

Joanne - My suggestion to you would be to take the water taxi ride to Murano which is FREE , sit and watch the glass blowing which is amazing - NO REQUIREMENT to stay or to buy from the factories!!
Then , walk around Murano to the local shops that sell pieces from the factories - their prices are fair.

Greg

I bought several pieces in Murano and thought I got a good deal because the lady said she was closing the shop. My friend and I both feel for that line. Comparing prices in Venice she was slightly cheaper. All the pieces made it home in one piece and as I was putting the flowers in the vase, they tipped over and broke. I found replacements in TJ Maxx for even cheaper. They all have the "Murano" sticker on it with a tag of authenticity whereas the ones I got in Murano did not have any stickers on them. If you want nice pieces definitely go to the showrooms in Murano. They are not cheap though.

I agree with Greg. We liked the Murano glass on Murano better than Venice...better selection!