Sunstone is an oligoclase Feldspar. The color range is orange to red/brown with inclusions that “sparkle” by reflecting light. It can also be found in combination with Iolite.
Sunstone: Meanings, Benefits and Properties
The frequency of Sunstone connects to the sacral and solar plexus chakras. It energizes and aligns these chakras allowing one to be creative in one’s thoughts and actions. It allows one to “step into” one’s personal power and to be confident in and take responsibility for one’s actions.
This bright warm ‘sunny’ crystal is a stone of leadership allowing one to use one’s knowledge and wisdom for the highest good of both oneself and others, thus helping one to be “in service” to all. It aids one in manifesting abundance into one’s life on all levels.
The energy of Sunstone can help one to change feelings of anger to those of joy and to help lift the negative emotions relating to depression.
This crystal can help with reproductive issues by balancing the hormonal system and can help to increase one’s physical stamina and vitality.
Associated Chakras
- Sacral
- Solar Plexus
Physical Ailment
- Hormonal System
- Metabolism
- Physical Stamina
- Physical Vitality
Emotional Issue
- Anger
- Depression
Spiritual Connection
- Abundance
- Personal Power – Spiritual
What is Sunstone?
The name “sunstone” is used for specimens of translucent to transparent feldspar that produce bright metallic flashes when light interacts with tiny plate-like mineral inclusions within the stone. These inclusions give the stone an appearance something like that of aventurine, hence sunstone is known also as “aventurine-feldspar”.
The optical effect is called schiller and the color of Oregon Sunstone is due to copper. The middle part of this crystal sparkles, and usually the color is darkest in the middle and becomes lighter toward the outer edges.
The feldspar which usually displays the aventurine appearance is oligoclase, though the effect is sometimes seen in orthoclase: hence two kinds of sunstone are distinguished as “oligoclase sunstone” and “orthoclase sunstone”.
What is an Oregon Sunstone?
A variety known as “Oregon sunstone” is found in Harney County, Oregon, and in eastern Lake County north of Plush. Oregon Sunstone contains elemental copper. Oregon Sunstone is unique in that crystals can be quite large. The copper leads to variant colors within some stones, where turning one stone will result in manifold hues: the more copper within the stone, the darker the complexion.
On August 4, 1987, the Oregon State Legislature designated Oregon Sunstone as its state gemstone by joint resolution.
Where to find Sunstone?
Sunstone was not popular until recently. Previously the best-known locality was Tvedestrand, near Arendal, in south Norway, where masses of the sunstone occur embedded in a vein of quartz running through gneiss.
Other locations include Lake Baikal in Siberia, and several United States localities-notably at Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania; Plush, Oregon; and Statesville, North Carolina.
The “orthoclase sunstone” variant has been found near Crown Point and at several other localities in New York, as also at Glen Riddle in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and Amelia Courthouse, Amelia County, Virginia.
Sunstone is also found in Pleistocene basalt flows at Sunstone Knoll in Millard County, Utah.
