Glass Jewelry: A natural beauty gem Glass Jewelry History can be traced back to the golden era of 9th century in Italy. It is the time when beads were traded from Rome and Venice to surrounding countries. You can still find traces of old Italian decorative glass techniques in the fashionable pieces today. Glass can be made and shaped to reflect a gem-like appearance quickly. However, you can make a notice of difference by examining its physical and optical properties that vary significantly from that of natural gemstones.