Goldstone

So much was lost with the Queen's Royal Library, including the location of the rare pink goldstone mines from which the stone for the Library Inn was quarried.

— Shiv Moonsong

Rare to find in nature, most goldstone on the market has been manufactured in the artisan glass houses of Tilth. The only natural mines for the substance are in the Axehead Mountains on Capitalla. It is found in several colors with a rich golden hue being most common, and deep blue the next most common. Other colors include red, orange, various shades of yellow or brown, and -- very rarely -- pale pink.

Properties

Material Characteristics

In its raw state, this stone reflects light with a glittering, shifting irridescence. Raw goldstone shares a similar structure to granite and can be flaked into shape with simple tools, leaving sharp, glass-like edges.

When polished, it has the appearence of glittering liquid suspended in a glassy state. Polished goldstone is smooth, almost slippery, to the touch.

Physical & Chemical Properties

The fine matrix of the stone's crystalline structure is what forms the glittering facets. The rapid formation and distribution of the matrix as the stone grows is what lends each stone a unique and fascinating 'adventurescence' (official gemological term for the particular layout of an individual goldstone point's matrix). This adventurescence is like a fingerprint or DNA, and can allow two stones cut from the same point to be identified and matched.

Geology & Geography

All natural goldstone is mined from quarries in the Axehead Mountains on Capitalla. Natural goldstone is prized for both construction and jewelry.

Synthetic goldstone is produced on the desert island of Tilth, where all of Argentii's glass is made. The production methods are a closely guarded secret; so much that no one knows whether it is the artisans, the shops, or the government that oversees the production. It is valued for jewelry and decoration, but is not a suitable building materal the way that natural goldstone is.

Origin & Source

Geologically speaking, goldstone is a type of rhyolite, a fine-grained rock that is similar in composition to ganite, but forms from long exposure to extreme heat and is then cooled quickly.

The vitrification of silica, quartz, and mica lead to the glassy polish and typical igneous razor edges that make for effective tool surfaces. When copper oxide is added into the mix -- that's the green stuff on the outside of old copper statues and roofs -- the high temperature reduces the copper ions to elemental copper. The sustained heat of being in lava form allows metallic crystals to form without melting or oxidizing, thus resulting in goldstone's remarkable adventurescence.

Goldstone's coloring is dependent on the presence of other metal oxides in the environment when it cools. Without these additives, goldstone's unadulterated coloring is a warmish, creamy white. This color is only ever seen in synthetic goldstone.

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Type

Rock

Color

Common: gold, blue
Uncommon: red, orange, yellows and browns
Rare: pink