Mica In One - What's The Other?

[pollyestr2]

I had the amber marble identified as a Mica some time ago. It's about 15/16" in diameter. Now I'd like to know if the other marble is Goldstone or Lutz or what. It is an opaque brown with many tiny sparkles. There are a few very tiny dimples in surface that look white and a small flat area that might be a pontil??

[Steph]

If that's what I think it is, then I call mine Goldstone.

[richsantaclaus]

it believe it's goldstone too

[pollyestr2]

Thanks, Steph. I have a paperweight with the same sparkle and I call that Goldstone.

[hdesousa]

If that's what I think it is, then I call mine Goldstone.

What's the difference between goldstone and lutz?

[Steph]

I googled lutz and goldstone and found a page connected with the divorce of a woman named Lutz and a man named Goldstone.

If I had to try to say something that sounded smart and wasn't worried about people correcting me, maybe I would say the glass was called goldstone and lutz was what made it glitter. (:

[Gnome Punter]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldstone_(gemstone)

[lstmmrbls]

And marble collectors use of the term Lutz has been a misnomer from the beginning. And using it for the aventurine and goldstones in modern marbles is also a misnomer.

In the reference below One of the thin threads was often an aventurine type of glass. Is this where the mis use began?

Lutz glass was made by Nicolas Lutz working at the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company from 1870 to 1888. He made delicate and intricate threaded glass of several colors. Lutz glass was thin and had twisted stripes of colors. Similar wares made by other makers are now known by the generic name Lutz.

Some also believe it was derived as a mis use of this glass name http://loetz.com/

[ann]

Is this where the mis use began?

Lutz glass was made by Nicolas Lutz working at the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company from 1870 to 1888. He made delicate and intricate threaded glass of several colors. Lutz glass was thin and had twisted stripes of colors. Similar wares made by other makers are now known by the generic name Lutz.

Yep. But if you read Paul Baumann's Collecting Antique Marbles he blows this out of the water pretty convincingly.

What some marble collectors call lutz, others call aventurine. Collectors of mineral spheres will collect it as "goldstone," even though they know it's glass. (There's a green mineral they call aventurine.)

But I think it's all aventurine, no matter what you call it, or when or where it was made. Venice held the monopoly on it until the mid-late 1800s. Most of it made today is still from Venice.

[hdesousa]

<snip>

Most of it made today is still from Venice.

Could be, but eBay lists many large spheres, probably made in China.

for example,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-4-Red-GOLDSTONE-SAND-CRYSTAL-SPHERE-BALL-Flash-stand-60mm-/281316055482

[ann]

You're right, Hansel -- I forgot about the recent Chinese things . . .

[lstmmrbls]

I think she meant Lutz Glass, Like this piece of Lutz Glass

well thats what I thought she meant until I reread it.

[ann]

Jeez that's nice . . .

[lstmmrbls]

It really is a beautiful piece. The fineness of the work is just over the top. It is a little under 7" across and about 1 1/4" deep. I have owned some other old pieces including a perfume bottle that was breathtaking.