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GOLDSTONE
Rock&Gem Magazine
|June 2023
Although goldstone might not be a real stone, it’s rich in character and history
It was once commonly called aventurine glass because it imitates that of aventurine feldspar, known as sunstone. This material dates back as far as the early 1700s when it was first made by glassmakers in Venice, Italy.
MAKING GOLDSTONE
The process of making goldstone is quite different from the process of making most types of decorative glass. First, the clear glass is heated. When it is molten, copper granules are added and allowed to melt. Once the cooling process starts, the copper forms crystals which provide the glittery effect you see in the finished glass. The color comes from the added copper. Goldstone is primarily known for its orangish-brown color, but there are a couple of other variations. It can also be found in blue/purple and green. These different colors are obtained by adding different minerals to the molten glass – cobalt provides a blue color and chromium provides a green color.
GETTING GOLDSTONE
This story is from the June 2023 edition of Rock&Gem Magazine.
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