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What is Jade?
“Jade” is a cultural term used for a very durable material that has been fashioned into tools, sculptures, jewelry, gemstones, and other objects for over 5,000 years. It was first used to manufacture ax heads, weapons, and tools for scraping and hammering because of its toughness. Then, because some specimens had a beautiful color and could…
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Goldstone Rough
Rough goldstone is usually sold as broken chunks and as slabs suitable for cutting cabochons. The chunks range from small pieces used for rock tumbling to large pieces weighing over 50 pounds. Although goldstone is a man-made material, it varies greatly in quality, appearance, and suitability for use in making cabochons, tumbled stones and other…
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Goldstone History
The earliest known object made from a goldstone-like material is an amulet excavated in Iran and dated to be from the 12th to early 13th century. The beginning of modern aventurine glass production began in Murano, Italy during the 17th century. It has been produced there, with some interruptions, up to the present time. A…
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“Aventurine Glass” and Aventurescence
Before the name “goldstone” was used, the material was widely known as “aventurine glass.” That name is the source of three words that are commonly seen in gemology. Aventurine: A cabochon cut from a piece of quartz that contains an enormous number of tiny fuchsite inclusions. Fuchsite is a green chromium-rich mica that gives the quartz…
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What Causes Goldstone’s Glittery Appearance and Color?
The glittery appearance of goldstone is often attributed to “bits of copper” or “copper filings” that have been added to the glass. That simplistic description is incorrect. Reddish brown goldstone is made by heating molten glass to a temperature that is hot enough to dissolve granules of copper oxide that are added to the melt. After…
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What Is Goldstone?
Goldstone is a man-made colored glass that contains abundant, flat-faced, highly reflective inclusions. The reflective inclusions have a bright metallic luster, and their glittering appearance immediately attracts attention. This exciting appearance has made goldstone a popular man-made gem and sculptural material. It is often cut into cabochons, hearts, beads, spheres, pendulums, arrowheads, and small sculptures. It is a…
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Disclosure at the Time of Sale
Man-made opal simulants can be legitimate products as long as they are not presented to buyers as natural opal. If the name “opal” is used, their man-made origin should be clearly revealed. This can be done with a preceding adjective, such as “imitation opal” or “simulated opal”. Marketing them without disclosure could be considered as…
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Man-Made Opalite
The name “opalite” is used for a wide variety of man-made materials. Many of them would be properly labeled “imitation opal” or “opal simulant” in a retail setting. They do not have the same chemical composition and physical properties as natural opal; instead, they simply look like natural opal. Man-made materials called opalite range from…
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Natural Opalite
The name opalite was defined as common opal in geology and gemology glossaries as early as 1945. This predates the use of the word opalite as a marketing term for an imitation opal. It is defined as a natural common opal that does not show play-of-color. (The first use of the word opalite as a marketing term for man-made materials…
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What is Opalite?
Opalite is a name used in two different ways: 1. As a synonym for common opal (natural opal that does not exhibit play-of-color). 2. As a marketing term used for numerous man-made materials that have an opal-like appearance but are composed of plastic or glass.