Antica Murrina is the only company in Venice that has managed to combine craftsmanship traditions, industrial philosophies and fashion design in working Murano glass, and the company now holds a leading position in all the world markets.

Three questions for Francesco Voltolina, 66 years old, is the founder and chairman of Antica Murrina.

What made you bet on glass?
First of all because I am Venetian: glass is in the DNA of Venice and its thousand years of artistic traditions. Glass is also extremely versatile: we started with simpler antique jewels, the "murrina", and over the years we have designed thousands of different models and colours to create our evergreen collection and the seasonal collections.

What is the strength of Antica Murrina?
We are the only company in the world that produces and distributes exquisitely handmade glass jewellery in almost industrial quantities. We combine craftsmanship with production skills which means our jewellery can be found at the same time in St. Mark's Square in Venice, in Via del Babuino in Rome, in Rue Marie Stuart in Paris, in Shanghai or New York airport.

What distinguishes Antica Murrina from the others?
Simple: our jewellery does not come out of moulds, machinery or assembly lines; each single piece is entirely handmade and therefore each one is unique with its slight difference from the others. Antica Murrina necklaces, earrings and rings come from the skilled hands of expert craftsmen who shape the glass according to the ancient traditional Venetian techniques projected into the new millennium. We could say that Antica Murrina does not have any competitors due to its unique style traditional Venetian techniques projected into the new millennium.