Sunstone Faceting Rough (Feldspar) 

Articles of interest
The continuing questionable Andesine story...?
Labradorite? What is it? Value and marketing issues...

Oregon Sunstone Grading
by Jeff R. Graham - copyright 2007
Sunstone Grading - There is no current grading system for Sunstone. So I have created what I think is a versatile common sense grading system.

Faceted Oregon Sunstone Grading
by Jeff R. Graham - copyright 2009
Faceted Oregon Sunstone Grading - There is no current grading system for Sunstone. So I have created what I think is a versatile common sense grading system.

Sunstone Pricing Guide
Commercial Sunstone Pricing Guide

Note: Sunstone is great for a new cutter or some one that is looking for some thing fun, pretty and different. Sunstone has nice color, and cuts and polishes easily which makes it very nice for faceting or carving.

Sunstone Collector - Oregon Sunstone Collector pieces

Sunstone - Oregon Colored Sunstone
Sunstone 2 - Oregon Colored Sunstone (light schiller)
Sunstone 3 - Oregon Colored Sunstone (schiller)
Sunstone Carving - Oregon Colored Sunstone Carving

Labradorite - Mexico, Oregon, et...
Orothoclase - Yellow, gold, champange

Notes: Labradorite, Bytonite, Sunstone and Andesine are all in the Feldspar group. Feldspar contains varying percentages of NaAlSi3O8 and CaAl2Si2O8. The percentage of Na and Ca determines the mineral name. To determine exactly which type the specimen is requires a chemical analysis. The percent of chemical difference is usually very minor and is often not conclusive.

Because the chemical differences can be and often are so minor there is some... lets say questionable marketing going on in my opinion. The names are often interchanged in sales pitches which creates confusion. The bottom line is this material is all Feldspar.

Optically and from a faceting stand point all of these minerals are basically identical. With the obvious exception of color(s) and schiller which do not define the mineral, but often will dictate how the material has to be cut and it's value.