Blending of the raw materials happens every evening, at the end of the workday, so the initial phases of glassmaking can be performed during the night. By the warm light of the ovens, elements are silently and carefully weighed, mixed, and added to secret blends of minerals that give each batch its desired colour.
In the darkness of the night, the blended mix melts in a crucible in the 1200 °C oven, fusing together for nine whole hours. When day breaks and dawn rises on the Venice lagoon, the Master glassmakers walk into the workshop and inspect the molten glass paste, before starting their creative process and working it into fantastic shapes.
Strong arms lift the crucible out of the oven and pour the molten glass out, shaping it into a sphere under the careful supervision of the Master glassmaker. It is he who then gives it the desired shape, with expert hands applying ancient techniques, assisted by a team who ensures that the piece remains at the correct malleable temperature by moving it in and out of the oven. Just a few minutes of intense work turn the shapeless mass into a masterpiece born from the artist’s creativity.
Once each creation is completed, it is placed in a specialized “annealing” oven for tempering. Here the heat is slowly lowered until it reaches room temperature, sometimes over several days. The cooled object is then finished with a variety of techniques, such as etching, polishing or engraving, performed by expert artisans well-renowned in Venice.