What does millefiori mean in Murano glass?

Millefiori Murano glass uses coloured glass rods sliced into flower-like patterns. The name “millefiori” means “a thousand flowers” in Italian and Murano glassmakers made this style famous centuries ago. Artists create millefiori canes by layering molten colours inside long rods, after cooling, the rods get cut into tiny cross-sections. Each slice reveals star, flower, or geometric shapes and craftsmen place those slices into bowls, paperweights, beads, and vases. Venetian bead traders spread millefiori work across Africa, Asia, and North America during the nineteenth century. Some trade beads reached tribal markets thousands of miles from Venice. Collector’s value older millefiori paperweights from the late 1800s and early 1900s and rare examples from Fratelli Toso or antique Murano studios may sell for several thousand pounds. The process needs steady heat control plus quick hand movement and a wrong furnace temperature can blur the patterns. Murano masters still produce millefiori pieces today, though fewer workshops focus on the method compared with past decades.