Glass is often used as an alternative to crystal gemstones, though some natural gems are actually glass.
Wait, is glass a gemstone? What qualifies something as a “gemstone” is often debated. Since glass is used similarly to crystals, we’d say glass can be a gemstone.
Some may see glass gemstones as “fake,” but adorning oneself in beautiful glass goes back centuries.
Today, we’ll explore the types of glass gemstones — both natural and synthetic — along with the history, price, and benefits of glass gemstones.
Glass gemstones can be considered semi-precious gems.
These can imitate famous crystals, making glass gemstones affordable alternatives for many birthstones or zodiac stones.
Plus, glass is the traditional 3rd wedding anniversary gift.
By definition, glass is an amorphous solid with a rigid but random atomic structure.
“Amorphous” means glass isn’t a crystal, like opal. What are glass gems made of? The composition is variable, but glass is almost always predominantly silica.
You may know quartz is made of silica, so what is glass vs quartz? Quartz is a mineral with a set crystal structure, while glass is a mineraloid with a random molecular structure.
Around 90 percent of glass used today is made of silica, sodium carbonate (soda), and calcium carbonate (limestone) — so, it’s called “soda-lime-silica” glass.
The majority of glass today is man-made with a 5 to 5.5 Mohs hardness scale ranking. Around 90 percent of man-made glass contains about 70 percent silica.
Glass properties listed:
Mohs hardness: 4.5-7
Color: Commonly green to blue-green (natural); Virtually any color, including colorless, multi-color, and bi-color (synthetic)
Crystal structure: None
Luster: Vitreous
Transparency: Transparent to opaque
Refractive index: 1.47-1.70 (can be higher than 1.81, varies by composition)
Density: 2.3-4.5
Cleavage: None
Fracture: Conchoidal, granular, or splintery
Streak: White
Luminescence: Variable
Pleochroism: None
Dispersion: 0.009-0.098 (moderate) if lead is present
Optical phenomena: Only created synthetically; Aventurescence, asterism, chatoyancy, adularescence, color-change, iridescence, play-of-color, pearlescence
Pictured above: Gemological identification tools: 10x loupe, 40x loupe with LED, and tweezers
Some only consider crystals gemstones, so how can you tell the difference between glass and crystal stones?
Many gemstones look like glass — the most common gemstone luster is vitreous, meaning glassy. But some identifying qualities of glass gemstones are:
Unusual Inclusions: Using a loupe, look for round bubbles and swirl marks or in faceted pieces: mold marks, concave facets, and rounded facet edges
Uneven Surface: Man-made glass can have an uneven “orange peel” surface, though this is present in some natural gems, too.
Temperature: Glass will feel warmer than most natural gems.
Hardness: If you suspect a gemstone is actually glass, you can compare its hardness (or properties like refractive index and density) to that of the real gemstone.
However, some natural gemstones are glass.
Some gems are natural glass stones, often formed from environmental events.
Obsidian is a dark, shiny volcanic glass formed when lava rapidly cools. Many geologists aso consider it an igneous rock for its formation process.
Tektite is a glass formed from debris that melts, flies up, and falls back to Earth because of a meteorite impact. Popular types include moldavite (pictured above), Libyan desert glass, and Darwin glass.
Image credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
Fulgurites, or “fossilized lightning,” are glass tubes or crusts formed from lightning striking sand, rocks, or debris.
The two main types:
Sand Fulgurites: Formed from clean, dry sand; Resemble the path of the lightning bolt
Rock Fulgurites: Crusts or coatings on rock’s surface or lining its fractures; Resemble branching channels or veins
There are also four main “classes” of fulgurites, discussed more in the Natural Glass Gemstone Guide linked above.
Pictured above: Traditional Maang Tikka headwear made of hand-cut glass and imitation pearls
Man-made glass gemstones may be created as stand-alone options or simulants (imitating a natural gemstone).
Glass gemstones imitating natural gemstones include:
Alexandrium™: Alexandrite simulant
French Jet: Victorian-era jet simulant
Opalite: Opal or moonstone simulant; Name also used for natural green opal variety
Slocum Stone: Early opal simulant with artificial play-of-color
Scorolite: Purple opal simulant
Strass: Historical, facetable diamond simulant
Victoria Stone / Imori Stone / Kinga Stone: General simulant, often for larimar or jade; Sometimes chatoyant
Paste: Diamond simulant
Rhinestone / Diamanté: Diamond simulant; Can also be plastic, resin, acrylic, or quartz
Mona Lisa Stone: Cat's eye stone simulant or general colored gemstone simulant
Non-imitation glass gemstones include:
Aurora Borealis, or “AB glass,” is a glass gemstone with an iridescent coating applied through a process created by the Swarovski Corporation in 1956. It’s also called “Aurora Borealis Crystal.”
Goldstone is a colorful, opaque glass with a metallic glittering effect from added copper flakes. This aventurescence resembles aventurine and sunstone.
Other names for goldstone:
Aventurine glass
Monkstone
Monk’s gold
Stellaria
Gold star glass
Sea glass is manufactured glass weathered by the ocean before washing ashore. It has a frosted appearance, though less so in “beach glass” from freshwater. Artificially created sea glass is called “craft glass” or “twice-tossed” glass.
Cristinite™ is a facetable Australian manufactured glass available in many transparencies and colors.
Uranium glass is a commonly green to yellow, brightly fluorescent glass containing uranium dioxide. It was popular in jewelry and homeware from the 1850s to the 1940s.
Pictured above: Vintage 1970s glass heart-shaped tray by Tiara brand
Glass can symbolize both strength and vulnerability. Mirror glass represents revelation, awareness, and enlightenment.
Many rituals incorporate glass, from breaking the glass with a “Mazel Tov” at Jewish weddings to making a toast to breaking a glass bottle on a new ship’s hull for good luck.
The word “glass” derives from the Proto-Indo-European word ghel, meaning “shine.” It’s also the root of many color names — most historical glass was colored.
Manufactured glass was developed 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. The first glass beads came from Egypt and Mesopotamia around 3,500 years ago. Ancient Egyptians adorned temples with glass to symbolize power.
In ancient China and Rome, glass was extremely valued; clear glass gems called “Alexandrian glass” were priciest.
“Fake” glass gemstone popularity began in 1724, when French jeweler Georges Frédéric Strass invented “paste” to simulate diamonds.
Other glass simulants like opaline glass had popularity through the 1800s-1900s. Today, glass stone jewelry popularity is rising.
Pictured above: Coated shell with glass carving pendant
Glass gemstone imitations can be used as similar healing stones, though glass objects have individual benefits. For instance, tektite is a third eye chakra stone.
Black mirrors and glass crystal balls are often used for clairvoyance, spiritual insight, and divination.
In Feng Shui, glass represents water and energy flow; mirrors double a space’s energy.
Pictured above: Ancient Roman glass pendant
Glass gemstones aren’t certified like natural gemstones, but their value comes from similar properties like color, cut, clarity, and treatments.
Man-made glass can come in virtually any color, even multiple colors or iridescence, with additives like metals or crystal inclusions.
Impurities in sand (like iron) cause the green to blue-green color of natural glass.
Lead is a common additive for increasing glass gemstones’ dispersion, refractive index, and durability.
Many glass gemstones are facetable. Lapidarists may choose traditional faceted cuts or unique shapes impossible for crystals.
Historically, glass beads were the most common. Glass can also become cabochons, carvings, or mosaic glass gems.
Different inclusions and blemishes can decrease or increase glass gemstone value.
Common blemishes or inclusions that usually decrease value:
Mold marks
Concave facets
Bumpy orange peel-like surface
Surface cavities
Swirl marks
Gas bubbles
Flow lines
Inclusions creating optical effects can mean higher value, like fibrous inclusions in cat’s eye glass, copper fragments in goldstone, and confetti-like inclusions in Slocum Stone.
There are numerous treatments for glass gemstones, creating different colors and optical effects. Treatments like surface coatings and foil backs (common on rhinestones) are common but easily scratched.
When a molten substance like lava rapidly cools, it lacks time to form a crystalline structure, resulting in amorphous glass.
Often, silica-rich rocks or sands heated and rapidly cooled form glass, either from lightning strikes or volcanic activity.
Manufacturing glass involves melting raw materials (e.g. sand, soda, and limestone) at extremely high temperatures. It’s molded or shaped while still hot.
Natural glass stone prices are higher than man-made glass gems. You can see the prices of natural glass gemstones by visiting each Gemstone Info Guide linked earlier.
Most glass gemstones for sale are man-made. Man-made artifacts like ancient Roman glass are somewhat pricier, starting at $14 and reaching $200 or higher.
Modern man-made glass gemstones are super affordable, from under $1 to around $30 for a parcel.
One downside of glass is gemstone care — it’s brittle, shattering fairly easily, and relatively easy to scratch. The safest options are glass earrings or necklaces.
Treated glass gemstones are more fragile. Be extra gentle cleaning and storing these.
Clean glass gemstones with lukewarm water, mild soap, and a lint-free cloth. Gently wipe it down with the cloth — don’t scrub. Store glass gemstones in a closed container separately from other stones and keep them away from harsh chemicals.
Pictured above: Green and pink Mona Lisa stone earrings
Some consider glass gemstones for jewelry “fake” or cheap knock-offs, but glass has the potential for all kinds of colors, designs, and optical effects at a fraction of the cost of natural gems.
玻璃通常用作水晶寶石的替代品,儘管一些天然寶石實際上是玻璃。
等等,玻璃是寶石嗎?什麼東西可以稱為“寶石”,這常常引起爭論。由於玻璃的用途類似於水晶,我們可以說玻璃可以是寶石。
有些人可能認為玻璃寶石是“假的”,但用美麗的玻璃裝飾自己可以追溯到幾個世紀前。
今天,我們將探索玻璃寶石的類型(包括天然的和合成的)以及玻璃寶石的歷史、價格和優勢。
玻璃寶石可視為半寶石。
這些可以模仿著名的水晶,使玻璃寶石成為許多誕生石或生肖石的經濟實惠的替代品。
另外,玻璃杯是傳統的3 週年結婚紀念日禮物。
根據定義,玻璃是一種具有剛性但隨機原子結構的無定形固體。
“無定形”意味著玻璃不是水晶,如蛋白石。玻璃寶石是由什麼製成的?成分是可變的,但玻璃幾乎總是主要是二氧化矽。
您可能知道石英是由二氧化矽製成的,那麼什麼是玻璃與石英?石英是具有固定晶體結構的礦物,而玻璃是具有隨機分子結構的類礦物。
今天使用的大約 90% 的玻璃是由二氧化矽、碳酸鈉(蘇打)和碳酸鈣(石灰石)製成的——因此,它被稱為“鈉鈣矽”玻璃。
今天的大多數玻璃都是人造的, 莫氏硬度等級為 5 到 5.5。大約 90% 的人造玻璃含有大約 70% 的二氧化矽。
列出的玻璃特性:
莫氏硬度:4.5-7
顏色:通常為綠色至藍綠色(自然色);幾乎任何顏色,包括無色、多色和雙色(合成)
晶體結構: 無
光澤: 玻璃光澤
透明度: 透明到不透明
折射率:1.47-1.70(可高於1.81,因成分而異)
密度:2.3-4.5
乳溝:無
斷口:貝殼狀、顆粒狀或碎片狀
條紋:白色
發光:可變
多色性:無
分散:0.009-0.098(中等)如果存在鉛
光學現象: 僅合成產生; Aventurescence, asterism, chatoyancy, adularescence, color-change , iridescence, play-of-color, 珠光
上圖:寶石鑑定工具:10 倍放大鏡、40 倍帶 LED 放大鏡和鑷子
有些人只考慮水晶寶石,那麼如何區分玻璃寶石和水晶寶石呢?
許多寶石看起來像玻璃——最常見的寶石光澤是玻璃質的,意思是玻璃狀。但玻璃寶石的一些識別特性是:
不平整的表面:人造玻璃可能有不平整的“橘皮”表面,儘管這也存在於一些天然寶石中。
溫度:玻璃比大多數天然寶石感覺更溫暖。
硬度:如果您懷疑寶石實際上是玻璃,您可以將其硬度(或折射率和密度等特性)與真正的寶石進行比較。
然而,一些天然寶石是玻璃。
有些寶石是天然玻璃寶石,通常由環境事件形成。
黑曜石是一種深色、閃亮的火山玻璃,在熔岩迅速冷卻時形成。許多地質學家認為它的形成過程是火成岩。
隕石是一種由碎片形成的玻璃,這些碎片會因隕石撞擊而熔化、飛起並落回地球。流行的類型包括綠隕石(如上圖所示)、利比亞沙漠玻璃和達爾文玻璃。
圖片來源:Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
閃電石或“化石閃電”是由閃電擊中沙子、岩石或碎屑形成的玻璃管或結殼。
兩種主要類型:
Sand Fulgurites : 由乾淨、乾燥的沙子形成;類似於閃電的路徑
岩石電熔岩:岩石表面或裂縫內襯的結殼或塗層;類似於分支通道或靜脈
人造玻璃寶石可以作為獨立選項或仿製品(模仿天然寶石)創建。
仿天然寶石的玻璃寶石包括:
Alexandrium™ : 亞歷山大變石模擬物
法國噴氣機:維多利亞時代的噴氣機模擬物
Slocum Stone :具有人工遊彩的早期蛋白石模擬物
Scorolite : 紫色蛋白石模擬物
Strass :具有歷史意義的可刻面鑽石仿品
Victoria Stone / Imori Stone / Kinga Stone : 一般仿品,常用於人造寶石或翡翠;有時愛聊天
膏體:鑽石仿品
Rhinestone / Diamanté :鑽石仿品;也可以是塑料、樹脂、丙烯酸或石英
非仿玻璃寶石包括:
北極光,或“AB 玻璃”,是一種帶有虹彩塗層的玻璃,通過施華洛世奇公司於 1956 年創造的工藝。它也被稱為“北極光水晶”。
Goldstone 是一種彩色不透明玻璃,添加的銅片具有金屬閃光效果。這種砂金現像類似於砂金石和日光石。
金石的其他名稱:
東陵玻璃
僧石
和尚金
群星
金星玻璃
海玻璃是在衝上岸之前被海洋風化的人造玻璃。它具有磨砂外觀,但在淡水“沙灘玻璃”中則不那麼明顯。人工製造的海玻璃被稱為“工藝玻璃”或“二次拋制”玻璃。
Cristinite™ 是一種可刻面的澳大利亞製造玻璃,有多種透明膠片和顏色可供選擇。
鈾玻璃是一種常見的綠色至黃色熒光玻璃,含有二氧化鈾。從 1850 年代到 1940 年代,它在珠寶和家居用品中很受歡迎。
玻璃既可以像徵力量,也可以像徵脆弱。鏡面玻璃代表啟示、覺知和啟蒙。
許多儀式都與玻璃有關,從在猶太婚禮上用“Mazel Tov”打破玻璃,到敬酒,再到在新船的船體上打破玻璃瓶祈求好運。
“玻璃”一詞源自原始印歐語單詞 ghel,意思是“閃耀”。它也是許多顏色名稱的根源——大多數歷史玻璃都是彩色的。
4,000 年前在美索不達米亞開發了人造玻璃。大約 3500 年前,第一顆玻璃珠來自埃及和美索不達米亞。 古埃及人用玻璃裝飾神廟以像徵權力。
在古代中國和羅馬,玻璃極為珍貴;被稱為“亞歷山大玻璃”的透明玻璃寶石價格最高。
“假”玻璃寶石的流行始於 1724 年,當時法國珠寶商 Georges Frédéric Strass 發明了“漿糊”來模擬鑽石。
乳白玻璃等其他玻璃仿製品在 1800 年代至 1900 年代廣受歡迎。如今,玻璃石首飾的知名度正在上升。
玻璃寶石仿製品可用作類似的治療石,但玻璃製品具有獨特的優勢。例如,隕石是第三隻眼脈輪石。
黑鏡和玻璃水晶球常用於千里眼、靈見、占卜。
在風水中,玻璃代表水和能量流動;鏡子使空間的能量加倍。
玻璃寶石不像天然寶石那樣經過認證,但它們的價值來自於類似的屬性,例如顏色、切工、淨度和處理。
人造玻璃幾乎可以有任何顏色,甚至可以是多種顏色或彩虹色,並帶有金屬或水晶夾雜物等添加劑。
沙子中的雜質(如鐵)會導致天然玻璃呈現綠色至藍綠色。
鉛是一種常見的添加劑,用於增加玻璃寶石的色散、折射率和耐用性。
許多玻璃寶石都是可刻面的。寶石專家可能會選擇傳統的刻面切割或水晶無法實現的獨特形狀。
歷史上,玻璃珠最為常見。玻璃也可以變成凸圓形寶石、雕刻品或馬賽克玻璃寶石。
不同的內含物和瑕疵會降低或增加玻璃寶石的價值。
通常會降低價值的常見瑕疵或內含物:
模具痕跡
凹面
凹凸不平的橘皮狀表面
表面空腔
漩渦痕跡
氣泡
流水線
產生光學效果的內含物可能意味著更高的價值,例如貓眼玻璃中的纖維內含物、金石中的銅碎片和 Slocum 石中的五彩紙屑狀內含物。
玻璃寶石有多種處理方法,可產生不同的顏色和光學效果。表面塗層和箔背面(常見於水鑽)等處理很常見,但很容易被劃傷。
當像熔岩這樣的熔融物質迅速冷卻時,它沒有時間形成晶體結構,從而產生無定形玻璃。
通常,由於雷擊或火山活動,富含二氧化矽的岩石或沙子被加熱並迅速冷卻形成玻璃。
製造玻璃涉及在極高溫度下熔化原材料(例如沙子、蘇打水和石灰石)。它是在熱的時候模製或成型的。
天然玻璃寶石價格高於人造玻璃寶石。您可以訪問前面鏈接的每個寶石信息指南,了解天然玻璃寶石的價格。
大多數出售的玻璃寶石都是人造的。古羅馬玻璃等人造手工藝品價格更高,起價為 14 美元,最高可達 200 美元或更高。
現代人造玻璃寶石的價格非常實惠,包裹的價格從 1 美元以下到 30 美元左右不等。
玻璃的缺點之一是寶石保養——它很脆,很容易破碎,而且相對容易劃傷。最安全的選擇是玻璃耳環或項鍊。
經過處理的玻璃寶石更易碎。清潔和存放時要格外溫和。
用溫水、溫和的肥皂和無絨布清潔玻璃寶石。用布輕輕擦拭——不要擦洗。將玻璃寶石與其他寶石分開存放在密閉容器中,並使其遠離刺激性化學品。
有些人認為用於珠寶的玻璃寶石是“假貨”或廉價仿製品,但玻璃具有各種顏色、設計和光學效果的潛力,而且成本僅為天然寶石的一小部分。
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