This weeks gemstone discovery came to us in a rather splendid gold ring that you can see here Andesine Gold Ring
Now we have had this ring at Vittori & Hive HQ for a few months now. Everyone that sees it loves it.
It is something to do with the orange hue that just catches peoples eye.
For myself & Hive it was proving problematic. We currently have a LOT of stock to process & completely unknown, head scratching gemstones tend to get put to one side, in favour of lower fruit. Don’t get me wrong, we both adore looking at unknown stones – it is ultimately why we started as Vintage Jewellers. But sometimes it is a choice of gawping at a vintage emerald versus trawling through old text books….
So, Andesine Feldpsar. To us, a mandarin orange coloured gemstone, that has secondary hues of light green. It is quite clear, but I would say semi-opaque with a slightly waxy appearance. It is fascinating how such a bright gemstone can change hue entirely.
It was Hive that cracked it. He kept mentioning Sunstone & the colour. A bit of a look into Feldpar & sure enough…
Andesine occurs in various colours, from red and honey-red to orange, yellow, champagne, and green. It often shows greenish hints and a faint metallic schiller (or labradorescence). Some are even colour-changing, displaying different hues under different types of lighting.
Andesine was named for its occurrence in the Andes of South America. The mineral was discovered in the Congo by Mount Nyiragongo (an active stratovolcano) sometime in 2003.
Andesine In Jewellery
Andesine is truly a special gemstone. The colour & hues are quite something & it is perhaps surprising that it is not used more. So why is it that we have never seen an Andesine before…?
- Andesine is sold in various shapes and cuts. It’s most often faceted rather than cut en cabochon.
- Genuine andesine of facetable quality is extremely rare (and priced accordingly). Like other gemstones, unique shapes and custom cuts are more valuable than simpler oval and round shapes.
- Because of andesine’s brittle tenacity, it’s not an ideal stone for rings (especially without proper protective settings).
- It takes experienced lapidaries to achieve such a difficult task successfully.
- Andesine registers 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. Although moderately hard, it’s relatively brittle and prone to cracking
With thanks to Gem Rock Auctions wit extremely helpful information on Andesine Feldspar
