Once Asterism’s mining license is approved, the company will have the only mining claim for the area, both Arthur and Gem-A said. Arthur said they will mine using only hand tools. Rainbow lattice sunstone is found in a remote area of desert named the Mud Tank Zircon Field, located in Harts Range in Australia’s Northern Territory.
The material, it said, features a rare combination of phenomena including aventurescenceĪsterism Gems Australia exhibited at the Riverpark Inn in Tucson, Arizona, during the past two gem shows to display its rainbow lattice sunstone. 44–52) confirming this and more about the science behind rainbow lattice sunstone. In fact, the Gemmological Institute at the China University of Geosciences recently took another look at the material and just published an article in the Gemmological Association of Great Britain’s Journal of Gemmology (36(1), 2018, pp. It originally was believed that the black blades and triangle inclusions were ilmenite, but improved technology over the last three decades has shown them to be magnetite.
However, since much of the educational material about it still uses the whole name, including an article referenced below, I decided to keep it.) (The material has been referred to as “rainbow lattice sunstone” since its discovery, but Arthur said the company recently decided to drop the “sunstone” moniker for marketing purposes and to avoid comparison to regular sunstones. Rainbow lattice sunstone is a feldspar comprised of 75 percent orthoclase and 25 percent albite. They then assessed and sampled the area that showed potential for a mining lease, and, having enough stock to supply the market, started the lease application process.Īrthur said the company expects it be approved later this year. In 2015, Arthur and a second gemologist created Asterism Gems. Here are five things to know about rainbow lattice sunstone.ĭarren Arthur and a late friend, Sonny Mason, were the original discoverers of the material in 1985.Īrthur said Mason had a small claim on it for some years, with small amounts of rainbow lattice sunstone filtering into the market over time, but that claim lapsed a few years ago. It is rare for aventurescence to occur together with adularescence, and the material is made even more interesting when you add the presence of the colorful lattice.Īsterism Gems Australia, a company formed in 2015, is working to get approval on a mining lease for the small area from which it is sourced. Rainbow lattice sunstone is unusual in its appearance-showing both aventurescence, caused by small inclusions of a mineral with a highly reflective surface, and the optical phenomenon adularescence-and rare to find. There’s something so striking about geometry and perfect patterns found in nature.įor one small area in northern Australia, these features are presented in the form of “lattice” pattern inclusions in a gemstone that would make any rock hound stop in her or his tracks.
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