Goldstone is man-made glass, not a stone. Tiny copper crystals grow inside it as the melt cools slowly, and they give the glitter. We do not carry it.
Manufactured glass
Goldstone
Piedra de oro
- Palette
- Brown Orange Blue Purple Green
- Mined in
- Italy, China
- Hardness
- Mohs 5.5–6.0 ?
- See-through
- opaque
- Known since
- 17th century
- Named for
- its gold-like glitter ('gold' + 'stone')
- Also sold as
- aventurine glass, monkstone, blue goldstone, purple goldstone, green goldstone, chrome aventurine
- Intention
- Protection
- Looking for
- Protection Clearing negativity
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Goldstone is man-made glass, not a stone, and it is made by melting silica with copper or other metals. The color and sparkle come from how it is made, so there is nothing natural to be dyed or heated.
Not in our pieces now
A VENTURA
The Italian words a ventura, meaning by chance, gave aventurine its name, from the lucky Murano discovery of copper-flecked glass.
METALLIC COPPER
The sparkle in goldstone is tiny crystals of real metallic copper, formed when copper oxide in the molten glass is chemically reduced.
THE CENTER
When a goldstone batch has cooled and is broken out of its vat, the best sparkling material sits near the center of the mass.
What it is
A man-made glass full of tiny flat copper crystals that flash like glitter as the bead moves. It is not a stone. Reddish-brown is the classic color, and blue, purple and green versions are colored with other metals.
What gives it its color
Goldstone is man-made glass: tiny flat crystals of metallic copper suspended in a reddish-brown glass catch the light and create the sparkle, while blue goldstone gets its color from cobalt and purple from manganese in the glass.
Where it comes from
Goldstone is made rather than mined; it has been linked to Venice and Murano in Italy since at least the 1600s, and was later made in Bohemia and other European glass centers.
In history
Goldstone is man-made glass sparkling with copper crystals, developed in Venice in the 1600s by the Miotti family, who held an exclusive license from the Doge; the earliest written mention dates to 1626. A goldstone amulet in the University of Pennsylvania's collection shows the glass was also made in Persia as early as the 12th or 13th century.
What's said about it
The glitter is often compared to a starry night sky. In crystal lore today it is thought of as a protective stone that turns away negativity.
The Murano story says a glassmaker dropped copper filings into a melt by accident. The records point instead to a licensed Venetian family in the 1600s, so the accident is likely legend.
People wear it as a bracelet or pendant, or carry a tumbled piece in a pocket.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, as a pendant, or in a pocket.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, goldstone is paired with the root and sacral chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on the wrist, as a pendant, in a pocket. People reach for it when they want protection, clearing negativity, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraRoot, Sacral
Also calledaventurine glass, monkstone, blue goldstone
Care
- It is glass, so it scratches and chips more easily than most natural stones.
- Wipe with a soft damp cloth and dry it; skip ultrasonic cleaners and sudden heat.
- Keep it away from knocks and from harder stones, which can scratch it.
- Wear it as a bracelet or pendant rather than a ring that takes daily bumps.
How to tell what you have
- Goldstone is opaque glass full of tiny metal flecks that flash like glitter, with a hardness of about 5.5-6. Natural sunstone and aventurine are real minerals with a different, softer, patchy shimmer, and blue 'sandstone' goldstone is not sandstone.
What sets the price
Goldstone is man-made glass, so it is inexpensive; what differs between strands is the color (blue, purple, green and reddish-brown glass) and how bright and evenly spread the sparkling flecks are, since batch quality varies and duller material comes from poor crystallization.
Rules and sourcing
Goldstone is man-made glass, not a natural stone. Under the FTC jewelry guides a seller should say it is glass and not present it as a mined stone.
Questions people ask at our table
What is goldstone?
It is a glass with copper crystals grown inside it as the melt cools slowly. It is man-made and not a mineral.
Is it the same as aventurine or sunstone?
No. Goldstone, also called aventurine glass, was made as an imitation of aventurine and sunstone. The copper flecks in glass are coarse and evenly spread, while the sparkle in the natural stones comes from small mineral flakes.
Does the story about monks or an accident hold up?
Not on the record we found. The earliest document points to Murano in 1626 and to a licensed Venetian family, and an Iranian amulet from the 1100s or 1200s shows the glass is older still.
Why does it come in blue and purple?
Those are colored by other metals in the glass: cobalt for blue, manganese for purple, chromium for green. Only the classic reddish-brown gets its sparkle from copper.
How do I tell it from natural stone?
Look for a sparkle that flashes strongly as you move it and for very even flecks. Gas bubbles or dull patches are also a sign of glass.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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