Murano blown glass making process is at once systematic and artistic. Typically, Murano glass is comprised of about 70 percent sand and 30 percent other substances. This admixture, from which the molten glass is formed, is called fondenti in Italian. This mixture usually contains nitrate, arsenic, limestone, and a silica sand base.

Murano crystal glass is renowned for its transparent properties. Starting around 1450, glass makers developed techniques to ensure the homogeneity of their products. The 'maestri' developed unique kilning and heating techniques to keep the glass molten mixture at the precise temperature necessary for sculpting. Thanks to methane furnaces, Murano glass makers can now keep their production lines going 24 hours a day.

Typically, the fondenti gets added to the pot in late afternoon and raised to a temperature of approximately 1,300° C. Later in the evening, this temperature gets raised by another 100° to reduce bubbling to get rid of remaining separations. In the middle of the night, glass workers turn down the temperature to around 1,000° C. Early next morning, the glass cools to a temperature ideal for plastic sculpting.

Murano artists use iron tools and bellows to work this plastic mixture. They then add silverleaf plating, iridescence, and gold embroidery. Today, art glass from Murano is highly collectible. These collectibles are recognized for their vibrant colors and intriguingly complex shapes.