For centuries, Venice, Italy has been known for making the highest quality glass beads in the world. There are many types, including lampwork, silver-foiled or gold-foiled, chevrons, millefiori, and dichronic beads. For the last 200 years the rest of the world has been emulating these traditional Italian techniques. I chose one sample to feature here from Shelly Thelen's shop on Etsy, as I was entranced the moment I saw them. These are "Venetian Murano Glass Lampwork Beads" -- lovely! What's nice about beads like this is that you only need two to create an incredible set of earrings, and a single one for a necklace. At home I have a necklace that is so lovely and simple -- just three gorgeous gold beads hanging from a gold chain. And such creations don't have to cost an arm and a leg, especially if you make it yourself. Contact us for more information about advice on how to do this, unless you want to stroll into a high-end jewelry store and slap down $3,000 or so. Also be sure to peruse a sampling of our focal and signature beads at The Bead Collection and/or our Etsy Shop: http://tinyurl.com/atcs2p3