MURANO ART GLASS
IS IT OR ISN'T IT? THAT IS THE QUESTION!
Have you looked around ebay lately at all the "MURANO GLASS"? Have you noticed the abundance of identical vases, paperweights, bowls, etc.? Have you seen the listings for $0.01 to $0.99 for fabulous looking pieces of glass? Then you see the ones that are hundreds of dollars and question why the difference. There is a reason. Here it is in plain simple English! They're FAKES! And what's worse is, eBay know it! I have contacted them to inquire why sellers are alloud to list items stating they are Murano Glass when they are not, and ebay ignores the questions completely.
Now how do I know they are fake? If you read the listings, you will see that they say right in many of the listings that they were made in South America, Romania, China or elsewhere. That in itself is 100% proof that the item is NOT Murano Glass! Murano Glass is made in one place only....Murano, an island off the coast of mainland Italy! Calling glass made in any other country would make as much sense as calling the people making it Italian even though they come from a long line of Romanians, Chinese, or other nationalities.
Now they can make glass in the Murano Style, but they cannot make Murano Art Glass. Not unless they want to move to Murano! Ebay prohibits sellers from using words like Tiffany or Tiffany style in their titles unless the item was made by Tiffany, although today, you will see Tiffany style items in every store with labels proclaiming them to be Tiffany style. On ebay, you are not even supposed to use them in your listing body. Yet they let everyone get away with saying Murano or Murano style even when their text clearly indicates it is not Murano Glass. Just ebay's way of keeping ebay safe for buyers! (That was sarcasm in case you didn't understand it)
Comon sense can help you spot these crooks a mile away. If you see the same photos appearing in the search time and again, odds are, its a fake. If you see a very low price and a very high shipping cost (again, against ebay rules) it is likely a fake. If you read the listing and it says the artist lives in any other country, or the glass was made anywhere but Murano Italy, it is not Murano glass. For some reason, ebay just does not care that you are being scammed. You need to be wary and wise!
There are real Murano Glass items on ebay. Lots of them from some of the finest artists.
One other issue involving Murano Glass. Murano Glass is glass made in Murano. It is not a maker of glass. Tiffany, Loetz, Fostoria, Blenk, Fenton...they are makers of glass. Murano Glass is glass made in Murano Italy. There are and have been thousands of glass makers over the centuries in Murano Italy. They are all making Murano glass, but they all are made by different makers. This is why you will often see names of artists or glass houses associated with the Murano Glass items. Again, any glass that is genuine Murano glass was made in Murano, Italy.
Studing under a Murano Glass Master or making an item in the Murano style does not make it Murano.
There are many makers who make glass in the Murano Style and although you will see it mentioned in their biographies, they do not proclaim to be Murano Glass makers. Examples include Chalet Glass made in Canada! They have made magnificent pieces of glass that are done in the Murano style using the same techniques, but they proudly proclaim themselves as Chalet Glass and acid etch their name on the bottoms of their works.
Blenko has made some glass in the styles used in Murano, Italy, but you will not see them proclaiming to make Murano glass either. Tiffin, Morgantown, and many others have made magnificent pieces in the same styles. As have many of the finer Scandinavian art glass makers, but they all proudly identify themselves by name and do not proclaim to be something they are not.
Bottom line is, if you have to pretend to be something you are not, then perhaps it is because you are not something you are proud to be. Crooks, bank robbers and common muggers hide behind masks to hide who or what they truly are. Do you want to trust someone hiding behind a mask?
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