Feldspar is a family of minerals, not a single stone, and the most common group in the Earth's crust. Moonstone, labradorite, amazonite and sunstone are all feldspars. We do not carry plain feldspar as a stone.
Tectosilicate (feldspar group)
Feldspar
Feldespato
- Palette
- White Gray Pink Brown Multicolor
- Mined in
- Brazil, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, United States, Canada, Australia, Norway, Russia
- Hardness
- Mohs 6.0–6.5 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- 1823
- Named for
- German Feld (field) and Spat (flake)
- Also sold as
- felspar, feldspar group, orthoclase (potassium feldspar), plagioclase (sodium-calcium feldspar)
- Intention
- New Beginnings Abundance
- Looking for
- Creativity Confidence and self-worth Change and decisions
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Feldspar is a family (moonstone, sunstone, amazonite, labradorite) and what is done to the beads depends on which one it is. Ask the seller which feldspar it is and whether it is dyed.
Not in our pieces now
60%
Feldspars make up about 60% of Earth's crust, so feldspar is the most common mineral family under our feet.
SAMPLE 60025
Apollo 16 astronauts brought back lunar sample 60025, a feldspar-rich anorthosite from near Descartes Crater, now displayed in Washington, D.C.
128-252 NM
Labradorite flashes its colors only when its internal feldspar layers are spaced 128 to 252 nanometers apart.
What it is
Feldspar is a whole family of minerals, not one stone, and plain feldspar is usually a pale, milky or pinkish translucent material with flat, shiny cleavage faces. The best-known gem members are moonstone, labradorite, amazonite and sunstone, each with its own look. Many are cut as beads and cabochons.
What gives it its color
Feldspar is a family, and each glow comes from a different cause: moonstone's soft sheen and labradorite's flash come from thin alternating layers inside the crystal, amazonite's green comes from a trace of lead, and sunstone's glitter comes from tiny hematite or copper flakes.
Where it comes from
Labradorite comes from Labrador, Canada; amazonite from Colorado in the United States; sunstone from Oregon; and moonstone from places such as Sonora, Mexico.
In history
Egyptians mined amazonite, a green feldspar, at Gebel Migif in the Eastern Desert, and amazonite jewelry has been made for more than three thousand years in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Romans and Greeks admired another feldspar, moonstone, and French goldsmith Rene Lalique and other Art Nouveau jewelers made many moonstone pieces. Feldspar is also a main ingredient in ceramics and glassmaking.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, feldspar is the family people link to creativity and fresh ways of solving a problem. It's also tied to self-respect and self-awareness.
In ancient Egypt, green feldspar was cut into amulets. An older table of stones for the days of the week gave Sunday to sunstone, Monday to moonstone and Saturday to labradorite.
Most people meet feldspar as one of its named members, worn as a bracelet or earrings and kept from hard knocks.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, as earrings, on a desk, or in a pocket.
In crystal practice
Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on the wrist, as earrings, on a desk. People reach for it when they want creativity, confidence and self-worth, change and decisions, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ZodiacAquarius
Also calledfelspar, feldspar group, orthoclase (potassium feldspar)
Care
- Feldspar breaks along flat planes if knocked, so keep pieces from hard bumps and from harder stones in the same pouch.
- Keep it away from heat, steam, hot water and ultrasonic cleaners, which can crack it.
- Clean with a soft cloth, mild soap and room-temperature water, then dry it.
- Skip chemicals, ammonia and abrasives, and ask a seller whether a piece is coated, wax-filled or color-altered.
How to tell what you have
- Feldspar is a trade name that may mean moonstone, sunstone, amazonite, or labradorite, and the material varies by lot.
- All are about 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale with two cleavages at right angles; look for dye at the drill hole, glass bubbles, or an unusually even color.
Questions people ask at our table
What is feldspar?
It is the most common group of minerals in the Earth's crust, roughly 60 percent of it by one count. Rock-forming feldspar is common; the gem-quality kinds are the ones people know by their own names.
Which stones are feldspars?
Moonstone, labradorite, amazonite and sunstone are all feldspars, and so is orthoclase. They differ in which metals they carry and in the optical flash they show.
Are feldspar stones altered?
Some are. Certain red andesine and labradorite is colored by diffusion, amazonite may be wax-filled or irradiated, and some moonstone has a dark coating on the back. A seller should be able to say which.
How do I care for feldspar jewelry?
It is fairly hard but splits along flat planes, so avoid knocks and heat. Wipe with a soft cloth and mild soap, and keep it from ultrasonic cleaners and steam.
Do you carry feldspar?
The family itself is not a single stone we sell. We do carry moonstone, labradorite, amazonite and black labradorite, which are all feldspars.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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