I have to tell you that everything I know I got from the DH website. Now I can't access Some of the tips but I will tell you what I do as I interpreted the tips.
It says for gaia to work it hot so that it doesn't reduce while working it.
For me that means turning up the Oxygen. If Gaia become opaque while you work it I think it is pretty difficult ot bring it back.
I tried all sorts of things. I never came close to the reaction that Polychrome beads got on that one set.]
I like gaia over dark ivory. Work it hot while encasing the ivory (gotta pretty much cover all the ivory or is sucks out the gaia
One mistake that I made and lost a few beads, was about letting the bead cool and then reducing (AS PER INSTRUCTIONS ON THE SITE) well can't really let it cool too much or if you go for a quick turn or two in the reducing flame, it will break later...
So let it cool a little, then follow the directions for the cones on the DH site.
A few turns will bring gaia to a lovely iridescence and I use kronos over gaia and it sparkles.
Now that I understand the way you all are using the R4 glass (for boro effects) I have been doing that with gaia and it works great. You just don't have to reduce the snot out of gaia.
Also I love the aion frit over ivory, the silver gives you that ivory/silver reaction around the frit but if you later reduce I get a green tint to the frit itself. You can try gaia over ivory that has been rolled in aion frit first.
I never have problems getting kronos to reduce especially when it is over Gaia.
For the effects like boro, go ahead and reduce the heck out of gaia before you encase... I haven't tried that with kronos.
BTW my favorite bead is aion encased in gaia, then some dots of kronos...
the gaia is a translucent shimmer and the kronos sparkles...on and again over kronos is gorgeous...Then again I am looking for the reduction and iridesence.
These techniques have worked for me over and over.... kronos decoration over gaia SINGS
Just thought I would share and really this is mostly just following the tips on the DH site and making an interpretation of what "work gaia hot" means.