Sunstone is a feldspar with built-in glitter. Tiny plate-like inclusions, typically copper in Oregon material and hematite or goethite elsewhere, catch the light and flash like sunlit water, an effect called aventurescence. Colours run from champagne and warm orange to red and, rarely, green. Oregon sunstone is special enough to be the state gem, dug from ancient lava flows, and its copper flecks are called schiller. Other classic sources include India, Norway and Tanzania.
As a feldspar with cleavage, sunstone has a hardness of 6 to 6.5 but appreciates care around knocks. Pendants and earrings are carefree homes; rings do best with protective settings. Strongly glittery stones are cut as cabochons, while clean Oregon material is faceted like any fine gem. It is generally untreated, which is a lovely bonus. Clean it with warm, soapy water and a soft cloth. Man-made goldstone, a glittery copper glass, is sometimes confused with it, but goldstone's sparkle is unnaturally dense and even.
The feldspar family: sunstone sparkles, where its moonstone cousins glow and flash.
