Either a really stupid question or a really interesting one.

[uniqueleigh]

Okay, like I said this is a really stupid question or a really interesting one.

I was wondering if any of the other gemstones can be used with the torch?

I know we can use Goldstone but, is it truely Aventurine? If not can Aventurine be used?

I know that I have heard talk about using quartz. Is that from the gemstone or something else? (told you it could be a stupid question)

Now does anyone know if any of the other gemstones can be torched?

Here are a few -
agate
hickoryite
sodalite
lapis
malachite
serpentine
jasper
amethyst
chrysocolla
hematite
carnelian
calcite
fuchsite
opal
etc.

Thanks, leigh

[Just Nancy]

I thought about this when I was fairly new to lampworking but never came up with an answer. I don't remember but I was thinking opal which is silly because I think they crack really easily. I'll be interested to see if anyone knows.

[tasminann]

Well, aventurine really is man-made, which is probably why we can use them.

Gilson opals can be used with boro.

It *might* be possible to use lab rubies and sapphires. I know you can use them with PMC, but can't remember how high you can fire them. Natural rubies and sapphires could be used if they didn't have flaws, but then they would be too valuable to experiment with.

I don't think any of the others you mentioned would work -- too much of a thermal stress, not to mention incompatibility. Even with low fire PMC you can't use them, which is a whole lot cooler than molten glass!

[tasminann]

By the way, it's not a stupid question -- it's an interesting one! :)

[Starfield]

I can tell you you cannot use pyrite...How do I know this? I tried to use it and found out pyrite contains sulphur! ARGGGGG! What a smell!

That was the end of my experimentation!

Karen
Starfield Glass

[squid]

Aventurine is not what we actually use - what we use is goldstone and it is man made. The actual aventurine is quartz and is not used in lampworking.

interesting little article here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aventurine

[Starfield]

OK Then why does Frantz and Howaco list "adventurine chips" and not goldstone? Haven't tried anyone else...

Karen

[squid]

They just call it that - it is "imitation" aventurine - goldstone.

[bousky]

Are you sure about Adventurine being man-made? Loco did a bulk buy, she drove a long distance to see a rock guy and purchased big old hunks of Gold, Green and Blue. She then tortured herself selling it off at a ridiculously low price. It was difficult to break the stuff. She hates it now!

I'll call her....

[Lisi]

What about obsidian? It's volcanic glass. ;)

[Lisi]

Aventurine is not what we actually use - what we use is goldstone and it is man made. The actual aventurine is quartz and is not used in lampworking.

interesting little article here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aventurine

Yep, true aventurine is a quartz gemstone. Man-made aventurine (goldstone) that we use for lampworking is a glass melted with copper shaving particles.

[tasminann]

I shall amend myself; the aventurine normally used with lampworking is man-made (gold, blue and green varieties). I've never seen the aventurine quartz in any of the super-sparkly colors we normally see for aventurine glass. The quartz variety is usually not as intense.

I think the problem with most of the natural gemstones and minerals is the thermal shocking/disintegration that happens when it touches molten glass. Added to that is that many natural gemstones (not to mention a few CZ colors) tend to change colors at higher temperatures.

However....it sounds like an interesting experiment!

[loco]

As others have said the aventurine we use is actually goldstone. The only naturally occuring non glass substances I can think of that is used in glass (other than metals) is mica.

It is quite lovely in marbles.
http://toys.search.ebay.com/mica_Hand-Made_W0QQcatrefZC6QQcoactionZcompareQQcoentrypageZ searchQQcopagenumZ1QQfclZ3QQfgtpZQQfposZQ5AIPQ2fPo stalQQfromZR2QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ2QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQlop gZQQsacatZ772QQsadisZ200QQsaprchiZQQsaprcloZQQsarg nZQ2d1QQsaslcZ2QQsbrftogZ1QQsofocusZunknown

Ohhhhh and Michelle is correct, I don't ever want to see goldstone!! Just the thought of it makes me nauseous!

[Starfield]

About obsidian... I am a rock collector and have collected obsidian in the Utah desert when I was visiting there. It will melt in the flame however it is butt ugly! You have to use it by itself since it is non-compatiable with lampwork glass COE. (tried that too)
All you get is brownish black mud looking beads.

Karen
Starfield Glass

[InspirationToolworks]

Well, I bet you could use diamonds, and industrial diamond grit is probably not that expensive. It will stay solid the whole time. I'm not sure what the COE of diamond is though.

If you had a chart of properties about melting point, COE, resistance to oxidation or reduction... you could probably come up with other suggestions.

I'd talk to a chemist before actually trying anything.

-Jeff

[squid]

Are you sure about Adventurine being man-made? Loco did a bulk buy, she drove a long distance to see a rock guy and purchased big old hunks of Gold, Green and Blue. She then tortured herself selling it off at a ridiculously low price. It was difficult to break the stuff. She hates it now!

I'll call her....

Yup - rock guys sell goldstone - lapidary guys like to shape and polish it :)

[NLC Beads]

I've tried emeralds and opals - they both blow up in a rather spectacular fashion...

[suzanne]

Diamonds are a definet no go. How do I know? A customer of mine sent me three little diamonds to fit in a glass bead. The diamonds came out just fine but oh my ... .that bead was cracked cracked and cracked. Never seen such a bad incompatibilitie, so no diamonds!!!!

You can get aaa quality cubic zirconias in gemstone colors, those work fine:)

[Lisi]

About obsidian... I am a rock collector and have collected obsidian in the Utah desert when I was visiting there. It will melt in the flame however it is butt ugly! You have to use it by itself since it is non-compatiable with lampwork glass COE. (tried that too)
All you get is brownish black mud looking beads.

Karen
Starfield Glass

LOL!! That's exactly what I thought it would do!

[Passing Glass]

I have also seen chunks of silicone used sucessfully in marbles. Sometimes rockhounds get chunks of silicone and polish it into cabs and whatnot, but it also works in glass. Not sure if what I saw was boro or soft glass but you could test it pretty easily. The ones I saw used small irregular chunks of silicone to make 3-D asteroids in space marbles. Chunk silicone is usually found as a by-product of the electronics and integrated circuit industries.

[InspirationToolworks]

Dan....

SiliCON is used for making computer chips.... siliCONE is put to more.... shall we say... aesthetic purposes. :-\"

-Jeff

[squid]

Dan....

SiliCON is used for making computer chips.... siliCONE is put to more.... shall we say... aesthetic purposes. :-\"

-Jeff

yeah, like Neuticals :D

[FlameFilly]

Glass is mostly Silica...which is a form of silicon....and silicon helps make silicone believe it or not...hmmm sand bags ....lol.

[Kym]

I had wondered about sapphires being OK to use. I have 4 little natural saphhires that I impulse bought in Vietnam, they are only the size of tiny CZs but nice pinks all the same. Just offcuts of decent sized saphhs I suppose. I paid about 30,000dong, so not much at all. Unless anyone has tried them and had them explode or something, I think I will still them a whirl. Why would they be any different to CZs?

Kym

[FlameFilly]

Why would they be any different to CZs?

Because they are...They are not CZ they are Sapphires made up of totally different elements. Sapphire is made up of aluminium oxide and other trace elements. Unless the are man made/synthetic Sapphire then I have no idea what those are.

[LyndaJ]

OMG neuticals! I just found out what those were this week. Who the heck would do that!!! quote: "To date, about 148,000 implants have been fitted worldwide. The recipients are mainly dogs, but Miller now has three implants available that range in softness and size to fit cats as well as horses and bulls. Prices range from $79 to $400 a pair."

[squid]

they use them on men too - people like Lance Armstrong

:lol:

[beadworkstudio]

Wow. I learn all kinds of interesting things on this forum.

[Passing Glass]

Dan....

SiliCON is used for making computer chips.... siliCONE is put to more.... shall we say... aesthetic purposes.
Yes, I stand corrected. It is quite nice for 3-D asteroids. :-)

[JuneauBrat]

Hi everyone,
I'm new around here so I'll just start jumping in with both feet.
I have encased amethyst in Moretti. It's probably not a good idea since it bubbled and crazed but....it's been hanging around here for about 10 years now and has not fallen apart...;) I wear it, lay it down, move it from state to state....it's still pretty and most interesting to look at.
Just my 42 cents worth.....inflation you know...;)

Byeeeee
Sue

[twistedchicken]

This just made me laugh out loud . . . mostly i think the "spectacular" part! That must have been something to see.

leslie

I've tried emeralds and opals - they both blow up in a rather spectacular fashion...

[meitali]

i once tried to encase pyrite, it doesn't work... and it stinks really bad!!! :lol:

[meitali]

I can tell you you cannot use pyrite...How do I know this? I tried to use it and found out pyrite contains sulphur! ARGGGGG! What a smell!

That was the end of my experimentation!

Karen
Starfield Glass


now, if only i actually read the thread *before* replying and not after... :lol:

at least i now know i'm not the only one who tried this!!! :-)


it wasn't the end of my experimentation though, as the experiment that followed was using spaghetti as disposable mandrels... anyone remembers that one? :lol::lol::lol:

[suzanne]

roflol Meital I remember, I laughed so hard I wet myself

hugs
suzanne

[meitali]

hehe :)

i still haven't given up on the idea of disposeable mandrels! i should try copper some time, i remember someone suggested that... :-k

i should go back to my "stupid attempts", those were funnn :D

i had also tried to encase a piece of picture paper... stinks almost as bad as pyrite... :lol:

[beadman]

goldstone is clear glass with copper flakes in it....i dont know if that helps.

i dont remember where but i heard almost all goldstone is made with bulseye glass.....

[Cosmo]

I had been told that you can use any stone with a Mohs hardness of 8 or higher. I found that to be untrue. We did a demo at a local university in their metal arts department. They had most every stone there you could imagine. Semi-precious, precious, etc. We tried every different one we could find. None of them survived.

I believe it has to do with the moisture content, but I'm not sure...