Translate

Showing posts with label Ethiopian Sunstone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ethiopian Sunstone. Show all posts

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Sunstone Plagioclase Feldspar From Ethiopia

Afar region in Ethiopia is becoming an important source for a new type of copper-bearing sunstone feldspar. I hope there will be steady supply and demand for this material in the gem market. Copper-bearing sunstones from different sources are visually indistinguishable from one another. Accurate trace element chemical analysis obtained by methods such as LA-ICP-MS, XRF or electron microprobe is critical to separating Ethiopian, Oregon, and copper-bearing feldspar with unknown color origin.


Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2020-gemnews-sunstone-plagioclase-feldspar-from-ethiopia