Custom Cut Polished & Wire Wrapped Rare Rosarita Stone Necklace/Pendant/Slide/Enhancer Sterling Silver .935 Can be worn on one side or the other for a different look
Overall size: 2 3/16 x 9/16 inch or 56mm x 15mm
Rosarita is a unique material that derives its exceptionally rich, red color from the process of gold refining. It is a by-product of the 1960s and 1970s gold refining processes, where Alaskan beach sand was smelted for its gold content and the slag by-product was Rosarita, which is essentially a gold-infused glass. The base material for Rosarita is silica (which is quartz particles) mixed with gold at high temperatures. Old processes prior to 1960 used the old method of open crucible and fire (infused heat) to smelt the sand, leaving behind a glass-like material in the crucible known as slag. This gold slag was used in the 1940s through 1970s for jewelry, carvings, flint napping, etc. This material known as Rosarita is some of the most exceptional colored gold slag ever produced. Most other slag were mostly red in color but not nearly as vivid as the magnificent Rosarita. Rosarita is no longer produced because of improved efficiency in gold refinement.