Description

Goldstone consists of minute tetrahedral crystals of copper dispersed in glass. It is created by the melting of glass containing copper salts in a reducing (oxygen depleted) environment, causing the copper salts to decompose to metallic copper. Goldstone has been produced in reddish-brown, blue, purple and green colors; the color of the first is a result of the finely disseminated copper crystals, while the color in the latter three resulting from changes in the body color of the glass surrounding the microscopic copper crystals.

Goldstone was developed by Vincenzo Miotti, a member of a prominent family of Venetian glass makers, in the late 17th century. Keeping with the tradition of the medieval craft-guild, the formulation was maintained a closely guarded secret. It was not until the early 19th century, after the family had stopped making glass, that it was divulged by one of the surviving members of the family. A litany of apocryphal “urban folklore” mythologies regarding how and when goldstone was created have devolved (rather than evolved). Foremost among these is that it was accidently discovered by Italian monks (religious order unknown) when they dropped copper shavings into a batch of molten glass in the 19th century (or 18th century. Or 17th century). Another more apotropaic claim has been advanced that “goldstone” was the result of medieval alchemists’ search to create gold.