Judging quality
Look for lively, evenly distributed sparkle and, in Oregon material, clean transparency with genuine red or green body color rather than surface glitter alone.
Feldspar
Sunstone
Feldspar with a glittering aventurescence from platelets of copper or hematite. Oregon sunstone is unusual in being colored by native copper, producing transparent red and green gems.
Care
Cleaves along two planes; treat like moonstone.
History & lore
Oregon sunstone is the official state gemstone and was used by regional tribes as trade material long before commercial mining.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Sunstone
- What is Sunstone?
- Feldspar with a glittering aventurescence from platelets of copper or hematite. Oregon sunstone is unusual in being colored by native copper, producing transparent red and green gems.
- How hard is Sunstone and what is it made of?
- Sunstone is a Feldspar-family mineral with the composition (Ca,Na)(Al,Si)4O8. It crystallizes in the triclinic system and rates 6-6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in orange, red, gold.
- Where does Sunstone come from?
- Notable localities for Sunstone include Oregon, USA, India, Tanzania, Norway.
- How do you tell good Sunstone from filler?
- Look for lively, evenly distributed sparkle and, in Oregon material, clean transparency with genuine red or green body color rather than surface glitter alone.
- How do you care for Sunstone?
- Cleaves along two planes; treat like moonstone.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.