Fire Mountain Gem brown goldstone chip question

[Shrimp]

It has been mentioned a few times here, in some of the goldstone threads, that one can use goldstone beads to pull gold aventurine stringers. Has anyone ever used the goldstone beads (item# H20-1090SK) that Fire Mountain Gems sells to pull stringer? How successful was your attempt?

[SuzyQ]

I haven't used that exact item but I have pulled some rectangle shaped goldstone beads that looked like the same kind of goldstone. I bought 5 or so strands years ago and I like it much better than the factory rods. I use it often under transparents for flower stems.

[scoutycat]

I haven't tried those chips exactly, but generally I've found that chips are kind of bad quality & will often pull unevenly. Cabs have always worked well for me tho, even the little 15 cent ones at my local bead store , and they're pretty cheap & available.

[Angie's glass]

What about coe? Is that an issue?

[Shrimp]

What about coe? Is that an issue?

I was wondering that myself!

[jaci]

Me too.. I always wondered if they made those beads with a 96 or a more furnace compatible glass(or 90 schott). I mean the clarity is too good to really be 104 for the price right? :lol: I am guessing its probably more on the 96 scale, just for the clarity reasons. However I have no clue!!! :) These are made more like stone beads are treated right? They must pour out a sheet and cut it and grind it and drill it or something??

[jaci]

did some searching and it seems as though traditionally and historically, it is a 104 COE pull. I know it is made in other COE's now in rod form for any glass COE basically. But crass referencing historical references it seems to have been a mistake batch at a Venice glass factory. A monk accidently dumped a load of copper into the batch of glass. It can also be made now with copper or chrome particles in suspension of clear soda lime glass, although green and blue are also known to be used. If it is any other color they say that it is probably a mica suspension and not copper or chrome. I don't know how true any of this really is, but historically if 104 glass was the prominent COE than it is probably still predominately made in 104 for 'stone' beads that we buy to do this stuff with :)

interesting links:
http://www.ehow.com/facts_4910503_copper-aventurine-glass.html
http://www.mindat.org/article.php/112/%22Goldstone%22+-+Aventurine+Glass
http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129503

[jjwiskus]

if you look at my free tut that is what I used for my goldstone. Some were darker then others-so I sort them out. They were the chips, I have used them without any problems.

[Shrimp]

Jeri,

I guess that was the answer that I needed! Thank you! Just in case any of you missed Jeri's thread, here is a link to it.

Jeri's goldstone stringer tutorial (http://lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185663)

Laura's goldstone stringer tutorial (http://chestnutridgedesigns.com/sections/blog/blog.aspx?bp_id=16)

[jaci]

there is another tut here as well using bigger goldstone beads, not just chips as well.
http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=184319

[Shrimp]

Jaci,

Thank you for the very informative links! I posted a direct link to Laura's tutorial on pulling goldstone stringers in my previous thread above.

[JEK3]

I did the stringer compatibility test using some blue goldstone chips my wife picked up at the bead store and a rod of 104 clear - no bending, so I would say they were 104.