I was told that Iām order to make ruby red glass actual gold was used? This marble is beautiful and looks like gold flakes are spread throughout. What do you think Cheese?
actually there is gold in a gold ruby glass, just not in flake form I don't believe(not 100 percent on that). The color is a result of nanoparticles of gold forming in the glass, Usually added as a salt or as colloidal gold. Not sure if you can add gold flake and get it to dissolve enough to make a ruby color or not?
10 PPM (parts per million) gold in ruby glass, not much. Not all red glass is ruby glass. There are no nano particles of gold, gold chloride is used, and yes, you cannot dissolve gold in glass. The flakes in the marble aren't gold.
Ruby gold glass is made by adding gold salts typically in the form of gold chloride to molten glass. Tin, in the form of stannous chloride can be added as reducing agent. Alternatively, colloidal gold can be used, but the quality of color is somewhat different.
Most artisans I know use salts of manganese, copper, or a combination to make red glass. This appears to be what you have.
The bits you see in the marble are pieces of oven brick. They forma very thin layer of gas around them that gives them a metallic look. The oven brick is normally white to beige but hard to tell that in the marble.