Andesine is a transparent to
translucent mineral that belongs to
the feldspar group, it is colorless,
white, cream, yellow, pale green,
gray, flesh-red or reddish orange.
The mineral was named "andesine"
after its original occurrence in the
Andes Mountains of South America.
What makes it different than most
other gemstones is its faint metallic
schiller or luster known as
labradorescence which allows it to
exhibit various ranges of color
depending on the viewing angle.
Andesine is considered by some
authorities as a variety of albite
rather than a separate mineral.
Andesine is prevalent in volcanic
regions throughout the world. Except
andesine original locality of Marmato
Mine, Colombia in the Andes Mountains,
large crystals of the mineral are
found in the San Gabriel Mountains
(Los Angeles County), California.
Other localities are the Riverside
County, California; York County,
Maine; Quebec, Canada; and Victoria,
Australia.
In about 2002 andesine started to hit
the market. Much of the material is
Chinese in origin and has been
synthetically diffused to enhance
color, and is actually produced from
labradorite having very similar
chemical compositions. So, the original
name "andesine" for the gemstones sold
on the market was thought to be very
misleading. In order to partially
correct the problem, "andesine" was
later hyphenated to
"andesine-labradorite". The trade name
was widely accepted, but it is often
referred to as just "andesine", as well
as "red labradorite", "Congo sunstone"
and by its general term of "red
feldspar".
Andesine-labradorite is found in
various shapes and cuts. Andesine is
most often faceted as opposed to
unenhanced labradorite, which is cut
into cabochons. The enhancement allows
the stone to exhibit better
transparency and color which is
highlighted through facet cutting. Most
andesine-labradorite stones are cut in
oval shapes, they are durable enough
for most forms of gemstone jewelry,
but recommended mostly for use as
earrings, pendants, brooches, bracelets,
necklaces, tie-tacks or cuff-links.
