We understand that everyone wants a bargain and will sometimes spend much less than normal for a product that is a "look alike" and not the real item. Due to their incredible popularity and worldwide appeal, Murano Glass and Crystal Chandeliers have been copied mainly by the Chinese and currently makes up 80% to 90% of the items sold. There is also PYREX which is a glass substitute which is used by some companies then hand painted to look like Murano Glass so then we need to say - YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR and only to deal with a reputable dealer such as Murano Art Glass Australia who personally GUARANTEES that each and every piece of glass we offer is 100% authentic and only MOUTH BLOWN by the finest master glass blowers in the world - the Venetian glass blower. 

No 24 Carat Gold is used on any Murano Glass style chandelier produced in the orient. It is impossible to produce the number and styles of chandeliers with 24 Carat gold for the prices being charged. If you see a Chandelier being advertised as Murano Glass for anywhere under $1000, it is almost certainly NOT genuine Murano Glass but either a cheap Chinese knock off or Pyrex. Here are 2 pictures below of both expansion lines and bubbles in authentic mouth blown Glass. Expansion lines are always present in mouth blown glass and bubble are sometimes deliberately blown into the glass (only found in Murano Glass) in a technique known as Bullicante and at other times, this is a naturally occurring anomoly.  The skill and expertise of the glass blower in the only thing that will dictate wether or not, bubbles occur or don't. The lack of bubbles in genuine Murano Glass is due to the exceptional skills of the master glass blower and this is why Murano Glass is revered the world over.

The picture on the left are indicates that this bottle has been mouth blown as there are clear indications of expansion lines as the glass grows with each gentle breath exhaled through the Pontil Rod by the Glass Master.

The picture on the right also indicates that this bottle has been mouth blown but in a rather crude and uncontrolled fashion however, it is a clear indication that this bottle has indeed by mouth blown.  Why Murano Glass is so revered the world over is the ability of the Murano master glass blower to either eliminate bubbles all together, or to include them at precise intervals during the glass blowing process.  It is only the skill of the Murano Glass master that can either entirely eliminate the presence of air bubbles which is done by an precisely controlled exhaling of air through the Pontil Rod.

    

                                                                                                             

2. Almost all Chandeliers are made with curls and spirals instead of delicate leaves, swaggers and flowers which take incredible skill honed over a lifetime of blowing glass  

3. If the Chandelier looks like it has been coated in Gold, this is not the case as the glass has been coated and this coating will eventually fade and wash off over time.  

4. It is illegal for ANY retailer to sell a chandelier as AUTHENTIC MURANO without a label or some form of identifying paperwork.  

5. All genuine Murano Chandelier components are coated with either pure Silver or Gold, never electroplated as Chinese copies are. Electroplating is a process which has never been used on Murano Glass since it was first begun in 1293.  

6. The central fixing disks which are where the body of the chandelier and the arms the radiate from it, are mostly made from wood and now sometimes steel in Chinese chandeliers. Fitting holes for arms are normally 2 to 4 cm in diameter, way too large for proper secure fitting of the arms. The choice is obviously yours but if you want to purchase a genuine Murano Chandelier, then you need to buy from an expert in the industry and remain secure in the knowledge that your chandelier will grow exponentially in value in the years to come