Glass
Glass
Glass has been used for thousands of years as a decoration. It is sometimes employed as a gemstone simulant, but is often appreciated entirely upon its own merits, especially when formed with a high level of artistry.
General Information
Tolerance:can go OTL
LWUV: Variable
Glass Colors
-
Bi-color -
Black -
Blue -
Brown -
Colorless -
Gray -
Green -
Green -
Green -
Multi-color -
Orange -
Pink -
Purple -
Red -
White -
Yellow
Glass Spectra
Color due to colloidal gold. A weak broad band in the green
Color due to colloidal gold and rare earth elements. Early 20th.century costume Jewellry such as this bird brooch by Triffari and Co. used a "Ruby glass" in which the spectrum shows a marked separation between the rare earth lines and a narrower absorption band in the green. This results in a slightly paler version of " Ruby Glass" as an imitation ruby
Color due to selenium. The strength and width of the broad band in the green indicates the amount of selenium present and may extend well into the blue-violet area in deeper brownish red colored glass.
Color due to selenium. Total absorption up to 650nm
Color due to colloidal gold. A single absorption band in the green centered at about 445nm. It may be accompanied by a series of other lines close by in yellow orange, due to rare earth elements
Color due to colloidal gold. The single broad band in the green area centered at 550nm. results in a color representing a good imitation ruby often referred to as "Ruby glass" This can sometimes be accompanied by several lines close by on the long wave side due to rare earths.
Color due to rare earth element. The dominant line is in the green at 520nm. With two other faint lines at 533nm. And 544nm. A broad but vague line at 489nm. Is accompanied by three finer weak lines at 458nm. 452nm. and 443nm. There is also a group of three faint narrow lines in the red between 650nm. and 660nm.
Color due to rare earths, possibly neodymium A typical rare earth spectrum with a fine line at 610nm. followed by a group of lines in the yellow, the strongest at 584nm. and 570nm. A broad absorption centered at 429nm. consists of four weak lines in the green which are resolved when the spectrum is viewed through the pale colored ends of this stone. A strong line at 430nm. is closely followed by total absorption
Color due to neodymium. As is often the case the rare earth neodymium is responsible for the strong pink color in this glass. The broad absorption band in the yellow acts as a barrier to diminish the intensity of the light.
Color due to cobalt. A blue glass here shows a moderately distinctive three band cobalt spectrum. These are centered at 535nm. In the green 590mn. in the yellow and 655nm. in the red, Due to the pale blue color of this specimen these bands are relatively weak but are seen as individual bands. Note that the band in the yellow is narrower than the other two.
Color due to cobalt With high cobalt content the color saturation of blue glass increases and the absorption bands darken and widen. In deeper colored stones these bands may merge closer together. In some stones the bands at 590nm. And 655nm. appear as one broad band.
We acknowledge the significant scientific contributions of John S Harris, FGA to the study of gemstone spectra and with deep appreciation to him, acknowledges the use of his images and related notes about gemstones and their spectra in the educational materials on this website.
Alternate Names
Paste, Strass, Faience
Countries of Origin
Papua New Guinea; Cambodia; Kazakhstan; Paraguay; Bahamas; Solomon Islands; Montserrat; Unknown; Mali; Marshall Islands; Guadeloupe; Panama; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba; Argentina; Seychelles; Belize; Zambia; Bahrain; Congo; Guinea-Bissau; Saint Barthelemy; Namibia; Comoros; Faroe Islands; Finland; Georgia; Yemen; Tanzania, United Republic Of; Eritrea; Puerto Rico; Viet Nam; Aruba; Madagascar; Libya; Sweden; Cocos (Keeling) Islands; Malawi; Andorra; Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Liechtenstein; Poland; Bulgaria; Jordan; Tunisia; Tuvalu; United Arab Emirates; Kenya; French Polynesia; Djibouti; Lebanon; Azerbaijan; Cuba; Mauritania; Saint Lucia; Guernsey; Congo (the Democratic Republic of the); Mayotte; Israel; San Marino; Australia; Tajikistan; Myanmar; Cameroon; Gibraltar; Cyprus; Northern Mariana Islands; Malaysia; Iceland; Oman; Bosnia And Herzegovina; Armenia; Gabon; Korea (the Republic of); Luxembourg; Brazil; Turks and Caicos Islands; Algeria; Cabo Verde; Jersey; Slovenia; Colombia; Ecuador; Iran (Islamic Republic of); Lao People's Democratic Republic; Vanuatu; United States Minor Outlying Islands; Honduras; Italy; Antarctica; Nauru; Haiti; Afghanistan; Burundi; Russian Federation; Singapore; French Guiana; American Samoa; Christmas Island; Netherlands; China; Martinique; Kyrgyzstan; Reunion; Saint Pierre And Miquelon; Cote D'Ivoire; Bhutan; Multiple; Romania; Falkland Islands [Malvinas]; Togo; Philippines; Uzbekistan; Pitcairn; Zimbabwe; British Indian Ocean Territory; Montenegro; Dominica; Indonesia; Benin; Angola; Virgin Islands (British); Sudan; Brunei Darussalam; Portugal; New Caledonia; Grenada; Moldova (the Republic of); Cayman Islands; Greece; Latvia; Mongolia; Morocco; Guatemala; Guyana; Iraq; Chile; Nepal; Isle of Man; Ukraine; Ghana; Holy See; Anguilla; Saint Vincent And The Grenadines; India; Canada; Maldives; Turkey; Belgium; South Africa; Bermuda; Aland Islands; Central African Republic; Jamaica; Peru; Turkmenistan; Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of); Germany; Fiji; Tokelau; Hong Kong; Guinea; Chad; Somalia; Thailand; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Equatorial Guinea; Kiribati; Costa Rica; Saint Martin (French part); Kuwait; Nigeria; Palestine, State of; Croatia; Sao Tome And Principe; Syrian Arab Republic; Cook Islands; Sri Lanka; Uruguay; Timor-Leste; Switzerland; Samoa; Spain; Liberia; Burkina Faso; Swaziland; Palau; Estonia; Wallis and Futuna; Niue; Svalbard And Jan Mayen; Austria; Mozambique; El Salvador; Monaco; Guam; Lesotho; Tonga; Heard Island And Mcdonald Islands; Western Sahara; Hungary; Republic of Kosovo; South Sudan; Japan; Belarus; Curacao; Mauritius; Taiwan (Province of China); Bouvet Island; Albania; Bolivia (Plurinational State of); Norfolk Island; Trinidad And Tobago; Virgin Islands (U.S.); New Zealand; Sint Maarten (Dutch part); Senegal; Micronesia (Federated States of); Ethiopia; Macedonia (the former Yugoslav Republic of); Czechia; United States of America; Egypt; Sierra Leone; Malta; Saudi Arabia; South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands; Pakistan; Gambia; Ireland; Qatar; Slovakia; France; Lithuania; Serbia; Niger; Rwanda; Saint Kitts And Nevis; French Southern Territories; Bangladesh; Barbados; Nicaragua; Norway; Botswana; Macao; Denmark; Dominican Republic; Mexico; Uganda; Suriname; Greenland; Antigua And Barbuda
History
Although glass isn't technically a gemstone, it's used so often as a simulant and in beads we feel it's worthy of listing. Most glass is man-made and has a hardness of 5 – 5 1/2 on the Mohs scale. It's made from sand that is almost pure silicon dioxide, with a few proprietary additives to adapt for temperature and color. Glass is a go-to product for jewelry due to its versatility. It can be colored, twisted, textured, sand-blasted, bent and even faceted. In short, glass is limited in design only by the imagination. It can simulate most gemstones. The downside is that glass is fragile and can be worn away over time. It's best suited for necklaces and earrings. If your bracelets and rings are made of glass, exercise care when you wear them. Glass pieces should always be stored in a well-protected space.
Care
Normal, gentle care
Optical Phenomena
Color Change
This man-made jewel is unique in that is displays the optical phenomenon of color change. Although this is not a natural phenomenon, it is an affordable alternative to rare and expensive color change gems, such as alexandrite. You can observe color change in this jewel by viewing it interchangeably in natural and incandescent light.
Cat's Eye
The term cat's eye, or chatoyancy, is used to describe a phenomenal optical property in gemstones, in this case man-made glass. The effect, when present, appears as a bright, narrow slit similar to the pupils in the eyes of your favorite feline. This phenomenon is caused by parallel fibrous or needle-like inclusions that interfere with the passage of light through the crystal, scattering and reflecting light back to the viewer as a thin line.Although in this case the phenomenon is not natural, it offers an affordable alternative to this rare phenomenon seen with some natural gems.
