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Although it has “stone” in its name, goldstone is actually a man-made creation which became popular in 17th century Italy, although older examples have been discovered, dating as far back as 12th century Iran. It is formed by adding small granules of copper oxide to molten glass, and cooling it slowly, allowing the copper oxide to dissolve in the glass and form sparkling crystalline structures within the glass. The copper oxide crystals produce the most common reddish brown version of goldstone, but the same technique may be used with other metallic compounds to create different colors. These irregularly shaped chips are smoothed and vary slightly in size and shape.
Semi-precious stone beads are mined all over the world and then are usually cut in China. They will often be dyed or color-treated to enhance their appearance. We select the best quality semi-precious that is available, and try to avoid finishes that are not durable. It is best to assume that some semi-precious beads will fade over time.
All counts & weights are approximate