Description
Goldstone, Glass, Smooth Round
This price is for one strand 14" to 15" long
4mm strands have approx. 90 pieces
6mm strands have approx. 63 pieces
8mm strands have approx. 48 pieces
10mm strands have approx. 38 pieces
Goldstone, despite its deceptive name, is not a natural gemstone at all. It is a highly reflective, man-made glittering glass. Historically known as "aventurine glass", it features a unique optical phenomenon called aventurescence—a distinct, metallic sparkle caused by light reflecting off hundreds of tiny metal crystals trapped inside the smooth glass matrix
The creation of goldstone is a highly precise, technical process that dates back centuries. It relies on a low-oxygen reducing atmosphere inside a sealed furnace to manipulate how metals cool within molten silica: A batch of silica (glass), soda ash, lime, and copper oxide is heated until liquid. Under intense heat, the copper oxide dissolves entirely into the molten glass. The furnace vat is sealed airtight to keep oxygen out and cooled down at an incredibly slow, controlled rate. As the temperature drops, copper ions chemically separate from the glass and precipitate out as tiny, elemental metallic crystals. Because the cooling is so slow, these crystals grow into microscopic, flat-faced octahedrons (eight-sided shapes). When you look closely at goldstone under a light, you are seeing the flat, triangular faces of these copper flecks acting like micro-mirrors
While the original reddish-brown variety is the most common and affordable, glassmakers can achieve a striking range of colors by altering the base glass formula or substituting different metals: Reddish-Brown (Copper Oxide), Blue (Cobalt/Manganese), Purple (Manganese), Green (Chromium Oxide)
