The Ganoksin Project -  Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Techniques - Since 1996


Come and join your fellow jewelers on Facebook

Donate!
If you believe in what we're doing, you can help!
Click to Visit
Tips from the jeweler's bench
The Gem and Jewelry World's Foremost Resource on The Internet!


Back
Articles by David Federman
Page:
 
[872] The Furor Over Feldspar
All-natural Oregon sunstone and similar-looking treated andesine once sold as natural are locked in apples-and-oranges competition that is both unfair and unnecessary....Until recently, brick- and salmon-red sunstone -- both clear and with schiller --were rarities. True, renewed mining of this feldspar in Oregon -- generally conceded to be the source of the world’s best sunstone -- brought more fine colors on the market than had been seen in years. But fine stones cost at least $100 per carat, usually far more. Then, in early 2007, look-alikes costing $40 per carat suddenly hit the market in impressive numbers. None of its sellers called it sunstone. Instead, most called it andesine, which is a first cousin of labradorite (the scientific name for sunstone) in the plagioclase series of feldspars. [Plagioclase consists of six species, identified according to the ratio of calcium to sodium -- their two predominant chemical components.] This next-of-kin gemological status invited many consumers to think of andesine as an affordable alternative to pricier Oregon sunstone, especially because sellers swore it was all-natural. (2008)
Complete Story

Show me more articles from: [Colored Stone]|[David Federman]
Releated Categories:[GemBiz]
ISBN: B000060MIL

 

Page
 


 
Donate! If you believe in what we're doing, you can help!