Italy and The Gold Effect . . .

While in Venice, and after a delizioso three hour lunch, my husband and I took a boat to Murano to one of the fabulous house of glass factories where we were mesmerized and dazzled by the traditions of blown glass. One art piece in particular stood out to us, and we asked the curator about the large Klimt-esque gold on glass two dimensional piece. He immediately told us the artist was in the studio, and promptly ushered us to meet him. Master glass artist Marco Toso Borella was happy to have us watch. As we listened to classical music he engraved his design in gold leaf. Between the stimulation of art and music, our rapport was instant. I was in Italy on a singing tour, and the love for music can bring a special bond of familiarity and friendship. He was very gracious, and we ended the day designing with Marco a commissioned piece for us.

His craftsmanship goes back generations in his family, and inspired me to learn the ancient technique of gilding with gold.

Jan Maitland

Lava Glow

Lavaglowjewelry.com