Discussing Sunstone can seem like a vocabulary lesson when you hear that it is a feldspar mineral which displays aventurescence or the schiller effect.
Put more simply, Sunstone is a clear gemstone with colorful metallic flakes that glitter from inside.
Sunstone Colors
Sunstone is typically a clear gemstone with tiny flakes of hematite, goethite, pyrite, and sometimes copper, as inclusions within the stone.
The colors reflected by the inclusions include gold, red, orange and yellow and the metallic nature of the internal minerals make them appear to shimmer and shine.
Read more about gemstones colors here
Sunstone Species
Sunstone is a gem-quality member of the feldspar mineral group. Feldspar makes up around 50% of the earth's crust if you include all the rock-forming silicate minerals and is made up of mostly potassium, sodium and calcium.
Of course, very little of this material is ever fine enough to become a gemstone but other famous feldspar examples include moonstone, amazonite and labradorite.
The inclusions in Sunstone are usually hematite, goethite or copper and if they are flat flakes, very reflective and cut in alignment they can flash and glimmer in a phenomenon known as aventurescence.
Sunstone Price
It is the color of the Sunstone which will determine its price. Any gemstone which is on the red side of orange will be much appreciated as long as they do not contain any brown tints.
The sparkle or glimmer of a good sunstone is very important so the color must combine with this effect. A deep red sunstone with no 'aventurescence' will not be as valuable as an orange sunstone with lots of glitter.
Carat Weight
Most Sunstone gemstones fall between 1 and 10 carats and the most popular tend to be around 3 to 5 carats because the color looks best at this size and they are perfect for a variety of jewelry items.
Sunstone is not a very expensive gemstone – even high quality brightly colored examples should only be around $5 or $6 per carat no matter the size of the stone.
For more details please refer to our full Sunstone Info page here
Treatments
As far as we are aware, Sunstone is not treated in any way other than cutting and shaping into faceted or cabochon gemstones. Heating gemstones is quite common to improve color and clarity but since the color of Sunstone comes from its inclusions it would more likely spoil the gemstones.
Where is Sunstone found?
Sunstones are mined in various locations around the world with India, Australia, China and Russia notable suppliers. Oregon in the USA is famous for its high quality examples with vibrant colors and glittering inclusions.
What jewelry is Sunstone suitable for?
Sunstone is rated at 6 to 6.5 on Mohs hardness scale scale making it about medium durability for a gemstone. It should be tough enough for most jewelry items but rings and bracelets might need extra care or protective settings to be safe.
