By Chisom Ibemere
Rainbow Lattice Sunstone, a captivating and rare gemstone is popular for its striking appearance and unique optical properties.
It is a variety of feldspar mineral, a group of rock-forming minerals that can display a wide range of colors and optical phenomena. It has a unique and colorful appearance.
Rainbow Lattice Sunstone is a relatively new discovery in the world of gemstones. It was first found in the early 2000s at the Ponderosa Mine in Oregon, USA, which is one of the few known sources of the stone.
Rainbow Lattice Sunstone is usually cut and polished into cabochons, which are then used in jewelry such as necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.
The unique combination of colors and patterns makes it a popular choice for jewelry designers who want to create something distinctive and colorful.
Rainbow Lattice Sunstone is a type of feldspar that has a hardness of 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, making it relatively durable.
It is composed of intergrowths of albite and orthoclase feldspars, which give it its characteristic rainbow-like lattice patterns. The stone ranges in color from pale pink to salmon to golden yellow, with iridescent flashes of blue, green, and purple.
Rainbow Lattice Sunstone is still a relatively new discovery and is not yet widely known in the global market for gemstones.
However, it has gained a following in the US and some European countries among those interested in unique and colorful gemstones. As its availability is limited to a small area in Oregon, its global value is likely to increase as the supply becomes scarcer.