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Customer Service Kiosk -- Questions for LE vendors.

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  #1  
Old 2012-12-09, 8:13am
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Default goldstone stringers

Does anyone know who has QUALITY goldstone stringers? I am emphasizing the word quality because I got some about about a year ago and the goldstone was so "watered down" with clear that it should have been illegal to sell. I refrain from mentioning from whom.

I have goldstone chunks at home and can pull my own but they turn out more coppery, even when I lightly encase with clear.

Thanks in advance

Duane
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  #2  
Old 2012-12-09, 10:32am
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Can you try using pale amber?

I love the way goldstone and amber look when mixed together. My real fav is goldstone and Vetrofond trans light brown.
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  #3  
Old 2012-12-09, 1:35pm
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Default Goldstone, the story

Quote:
Does anyone know who has QUALITY goldstone stringers? I am emphasizing the word quality because I got some about about a year ago and the goldstone was so "watered down" with clear that it should have been illegal to sell. I refrain from mentioning from whom.

I have goldstone chunks at home and can pull my own but they turn out more coppery, even when I lightly encase with clear.

Thanks in advance

Duane
Pretty much 98% of the 104 goldstone stringers come from Effetre. The factory that makes the goldstone is in Italy. I have been there and the size of the boulder was as big as a sofa. There were two workers in chairs with hammers hammering away. They would divide the rocks they broke off into three different grades......small stars (used for Jewelry) large stares (sold to glass factories) and the green stuff which ends up in the landfill.
I am pretty sure that most factories use the large stars. I would think that the small stars could be used by Effetre if customers would pay more....would you? I am sure that I could have small star goldstone as a product if we would pay more.

So unless anyone is buying second quality goldstone stringers, everyone is using Effetre goldstone and the density of the color will change from time to time.

Do you know where the goldstone that you do not like was made, rather than from who you buy it from

And then there may be some unscruplious dealers who are watering the goldstone, one of which is not us. But after 30 years of importing glass I have seen the quality go up and down. And during production if there is a bit too much clear it will seem watered down. And on the other hand if there is not enough clear, the goldstone may burn.

Twenty-five years ago I worked with another glass artist to pull goldstone stringer for resale.......too much work and we would also get some that turned nasty like you report in your experiences.

Did I mention that we have goldstone stringers for sale? Goldstone stringers always discounted at Frantz Art Glass, the leader in the 104 glass industry.

Have a nice day

Mike
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  #4  
Old 2012-12-09, 2:10pm
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Nice sales pitch Mike...

It's my experience that the premade 104 goldstone stringers are "watered" down with too much clear. Not enough sparkle. But what do I know... I'm just a lowly distributor.
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  #5  
Old 2012-12-09, 2:40pm
mikefrantz mikefrantz is offline
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Default Effetre Glass

Quote:
Nice sales pitch Mike...

It's my experience that the premade 104 goldstone stringers are "watered" down with too much clear. Not enough sparkle. But what do I know... I'm just a lowly distributor.
The best fix would be for glass artists to pick out selected goldstone rocks and make the goldstone stringers themselves.

I have just emailed Effetre and asked them about making stingers with the small stars, and asking questions like; do they work, how much would I have to buy, how much would I have to pay. No doubt the price would go up.

And this was not a Sales Pitch, it was some great information that only could be provided by someone who had been to the goldstone factory and who has been to the Effetre factory over 20 times.

I hate bragging, but if it were not for the cooperation between Frantz and Effetre, there are probably lots of colors that you would never have seen.

.
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  #6  
Old 2012-12-09, 3:12pm
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Quote:
Pretty much 98% of the 104 goldstone stringers come from Effetre. The factory that makes the goldstone is in Italy. I have been there and the size of the boulder was as big as a sofa. There were two workers in chairs with hammers hammering away. They would divide the rocks they broke off into three different grades......small stars (used for Jewelry) large stares (sold to glass factories) and the green stuff which ends up in the landfill.
I am pretty sure that most factories use the large stars. I would think that the small stars could be used by Effetre if customers would pay more....would you? I am sure that I could have small star goldstone as a product if we would pay more.

So unless anyone is buying second quality goldstone stringers, everyone is using Effetre goldstone and the density of the color will change from time to time.

Do you know where the goldstone that you do not like was made, rather than from who you buy it from

And then there may be some unscruplious dealers who are watering the goldstone, one of which is not us. But after 30 years of importing glass I have seen the quality go up and down. And during production if there is a bit too much clear it will seem watered down. And on the other hand if there is not enough clear, the goldstone may burn.

Twenty-five years ago I worked with another glass artist to pull goldstone stringer for resale.......too much work and we would also get some that turned nasty like you report in your experiences.

Did I mention that we have goldstone stringers for sale? Goldstone stringers always discounted at Frantz Art Glass, the leader in the 104 glass industry.

Have a nice day

Mike
This is what I meant by sales pitch. The rest *is* useful info.
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  #7  
Old 2012-12-09, 3:18pm
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Try various transparents to change the color a little?
in direct sun

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  #8  
Old 2012-12-09, 3:19pm
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Those are lovely Eileen!
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  #9  
Old 2012-12-09, 3:22pm
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Default Goldstone and Gold Pink

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Try various transparents to change the color a little?
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One of the most interesting goldstone stringers was made with casing it with Rubon Oro (gold pink). I still have a sample sitting around somewhere, but to make it I would have to order 200 pounds and watch the price skyrocket. Many years ago when I saw it, the idea of me makig some was out of the question, but today I will have to reconsider it.

Thanks for the photo's.

Very Cool

Mike
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  #10  
Old 2012-12-09, 3:22pm
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Thank you Donna
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  #11  
Old 2012-12-09, 3:23pm
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Ohhhh sparkly! Those are pretty.
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  #12  
Old 2012-12-09, 3:56pm
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Goldstone does vary. I pull my own stringer from rocks but some of the rocks are very sparkly and some are not. So now I try to handpick the goldstone rocks I buy.
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  #13  
Old 2012-12-09, 4:01pm
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Thanks so much, Mike! That was very educational. Even in my jar of goldstone pieces I can definitely tell they are from two different larger pieces. Some of them are VERY sparkly while the others not so much. Thankfully I am very low on the dull stuff
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  #14  
Old 2012-12-09, 4:05pm
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I prefer to make my goldstone stringer myself... I can control what goldstone piece I use, the colour of the encasement and the thickness of it this way. My favourite goldstone for these to date is with these little rectangular bricks of goldstone that I bought from someone in the garage sale. I'll be sad when those are gone, because they are really, really nice to use and have awesome sparkle.

Honestly, I don't really understand why anyone buys the premade goldstone stringer -- or the goldstone rods, which are even worse. It's so much less attractive and so much more expensive than just making it yourself.
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  #15  
Old 2012-12-09, 4:09pm
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I picked up a couple of presses from someone who was liquidating and I bought goldstone with them because it was there.....but I'm not really sure what to do with it. I love that copper look you're getting with it, Eileen.

Does it melt? Do I just melt it, encase it and pull?
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Old 2012-12-09, 4:13pm
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You need to encase it. I warmed it in the kiln, then encased it with various transparents and pulled (I'd always done clear before, but read on LE to try other glass & the ones I showed were the result).
It is little flecks of copper, so the copper color is the default.
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  #17  
Old 2012-12-09, 4:13pm
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Default Golden Glass

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Thanks so much, Mike! That was very educational. Even in my jar of goldstone pieces I can definitely tell they are from two different larger pieces. Some of them are VERY sparkly while the others not so much. Thankfully I am very low on the dull stuff
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Your welcome Duane
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  #18  
Old 2012-12-09, 4:20pm
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Yes, just punty up the goldstone rocks on a clear rod or boro, as many as you want. Encase it in a transparent. and then heat and pull. edited to say in the last heating I try to shape it into a barrel before pulling.
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  #19  
Old 2012-12-09, 4:49pm
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Quote:
Try various transparents to change the color a little?
in direct sun

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Wow ... love all the different gold/bronze hues. Great job!
My favorite is the second from the right.
Super sparkly, all of them!
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Old 2012-12-09, 5:07pm
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So who has goldstone for sale? I've looked several places including eBay. I would love to buy a chunk!
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  #21  
Old 2012-12-09, 5:12pm
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Quote:
So who has goldstone for sale? I've looked several places including eBay. I would love to buy a chunk!
I just buy a string of goldstone beads from a bead shop and encase my own.

Sue
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Old 2012-12-09, 5:19pm
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Quote:
Wow ... love all the different gold/bronze hues. Great job!
My favorite is the second from the right.
Super sparkly, all of them!
I think that was in pale aquamarine?
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  #23  
Old 2012-12-09, 6:05pm
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Quote:
I just buy a string of goldstone beads from a bead shop and encase my own.

Sue
Sue...are goldstone beads pure goldstone? Seems like they would have had something added.
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  #24  
Old 2012-12-09, 6:25pm
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Quote:
I just buy a string of goldstone beads from a bead shop and encase my own.

Sue
Sue, I didn't know you could do that. Is it an online store?
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  #25  
Old 2012-12-09, 8:00pm
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I do that for blue adventurine/goldstone. I get the beads and melt them and then pull the stringers. I've never had a problem with doing it that way.
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Old 2012-12-09, 8:32pm
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I pull my own from beads as well. Make sure that you crack them prior to encasing. You can do this with heat or with just a hammer. The hole in the middle will cause it to explode or the stringer will have air and be very difficult to use. The idea is to encase a solid chunk of the goldstone or several pieces melted together with no air. HTH.

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  #27  
Old 2012-12-09, 8:47pm
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I bought slabs from a source in one of the goldstone threads, hit it with a hammer to get chunks. There was a minimum though (maybe $20?) so I ended up buying 2 "red" and a blue.
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  #28  
Old 2012-12-10, 10:18am
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Eileen: You made those?? Fantastic! I wish I could do that...wow.
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Old 2012-12-10, 10:20am
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If I can do it, you can do it
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  #30  
Old 2012-12-10, 10:42am
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I got mine in Murano the best I have ever seen is made By Luigi Cattelan


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I think....
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The ring with the wash out near the top was worked in the flame for over a hr and washed out only where it was not encased the ring on my pinky is what the goldstone looks like on clear





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