Radiating with the power of eternal light, Sunstone has been coveted since antiquity for its ability to guide its wearer through the journey of life. Sunstone is also known as Aventurine Feldspar or Heliolite, from the Greek “helios” for sun and “lithos” for stone.



An ancient gem, Sunstone has allegedly been discovered in Viking burial mounds. Among the Vikings, Sunstone was thought to aid navigation both in reality and during ones journey to Valhalla and the afterlife. Interestingly, the Sunstone referenced in Norse literature probably refers to Iolite rather than the modern gem we call Sunstone.

Pope Clement VII (1478 - 1534) was reputed to have in his possession a Sunstone with a golden spot that moved across the surface in accordance with the apparent motion of the sun from sunrise to sunset.

Native Americans in Oregon, USA used Sunstone for trade and barter. Oregon Sunstone was declared the official Gemstone of the State of Oregon in 1987.

Crystal healers believe Sunstone to be useful for adding personal insight and alleviating depression. Historically, Sunstone has been linked with benevolent gods, luck and good fortune.



Sunstone is a member of the plagioclase Feldspar group of minerals and is closely related to Moonstone and Labradorite. The name Feldspar comes from the German “feldt spat”, meaning “field stone”. So named, this is because when Feldspar weathers, it releases large amounts of plant nutrients, such as potassium, which enrich soil.

Sunstone has a beautiful glittering sunlight effect as a result of its tiny metallic inclusions. The copper or pyrite inclusions cause sparkling flashes of light as millions of particles playfully interact with light. While known to gemologists as “schiller” or “aventurescence”, African miners call this feature “flowers”. Sunstones are nearly always cut as cabochons to reflect this phenomenon but the deeper colors may also be faceted to exhibit their superior luster.

Sunstone is formed and crystallized in lava flows. Sunstones range in color from water clear through pale yellow, soft pink and red to deep blue and green. Some of the deeper colored gems have bands of varying color while others exhibit pleochroism, showing different colors when viewed from different directions.

Sunstones are mined from the surface from partially decomposed rock (with a pick and shovel) or from shallow pits and shafts dug to retrieve the rough.

Sunstone is mined in the USA (Warner Valley, Oregon – the high copper content of Oregon Sunstones gives them their unique bright red orange colors), India, Canada, Tanzania, Tibet, Madagascar, Norway and Russia. Interestingly, some Sunstones from Madagascar display asterism (also known as the “star effect”, this is caused by minerals reflecting a star of light back to the eye), which further accentuates Sunstone’s natural sparkle.

One of the newest and most beautiful rare gems to be discovered, Tibetan Sunstone (also known as Andesine, for the location of this minerals discovery in the lava flows of the Andes Mountains, Bolivia in 1841) was first unearthed in 2002 in central Tibet. Initially bumping into some rough Tibetan Sunstone during a buying trip in east Africa, our gem hunters were perplexed by its origin. While many incorrectly claim that the Democratic Republic of Congo is the source of this gemstone, we know better. Using our network of mining and gemstone contacts around the globe, we were able to get to the bottom of this modern gem mystery. Tibetan Sunstone is characterized by a swirling mix of coppery oranges, honeys, ambers, lemons and limes with a beautiful glittering sunlight effect caused by tiny copper inclusions. While the copper inclusions are predominantly orange, they often disperse a fiery multitude of electric colors. With such an attractive blend of shimmering colors, Tibetan Sunstone has a unique appearance unlike any other gemstone. Nevertheless, supply is erratic and very limited, making this beautiful rare gemstone even more collectable.

Tibetan Sunstone is somewhat similar to Maasai Sunstone from Tanzania. First found by a young Maasai man on tribal grazing lands near Arusha in 2000, Maasai Sunstone’s basic red orange color mimics the bright hues of the Maasai people’s dress. Since the Maasai have found several of east Africa's gem deposits (Tsavorite and Tanzanite), it is fitting that at least one of their gem discoveries carries their tribal name.