June 18 2007
by Damien Zielinski

Sunstone, known to the scientific community as aventurine feldspar, is famous for its spangled golden brilliance. It is the official state gemstone of Oregon , where sites of sunstone abundance have actually been opened to the public. Even though Oregon residents and commercial enterprises have harvested countless tonnes of the gem, it still remains in wealthy abundance. If you like, you can go hunt for your own sunstone finds there.

Long, long before sunstone deposits were discovered in the USA, the mineral was of indispensable aid to Vikings who, surprisingly, used it for navigation. This is due to an amazing natural property of sunstone known as polarization; sunstone's metallic inclusions reflect light in a stunning blaze of colour that changes depending on what angle the stone is facing in relation to the source of light. So on foggy or overcast days when the sun was not directly visible, those Nordic sailors of old simply pulled out their handy piece of sunstone and rotated it until they saw the tell-tale gleam. From this they could gather their bearings and sail in an informed trajectory.

Tested navigational benefits and awe-inspiring beauty aside, sunstone has been thought to aid digestion, help with rheumatism, and increase strength and vitality.

Designing with sunstone beads can spruce up any collection, especially for Spring. Sunstone beads can be combined with other jewellery beads such as brushed gold vermeilled beads and smokey quartz to create a fun, but classic jewellery piece. Use sunstone with any dark crystal or jewellery beads, to add a hint of sparkle and colour to your collection. The peachy sparkle of this jewellery bead complements any colour combination, and is bound to win over many admirerers.

Click here to browse Sunstone at Stones and Findings