sunstone

[suhn-stohn]

noun

1. a reddish variety of oligoclase feldspar, used as a gem, having a red and bright-yellow play of color.

sunstone

/ ˈsʌnˌstəʊn /

noun

1. another name for aventurine

Word History and Origins

Origin of sunstone¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; sun, stone

Word History and Origins

Origin of sunstone¹

C17: so called because it contains red and gold flecks which reflect the light

Example Sentences

But what the country lacks in gemological richness, it makes up in a startling variety of gems mined coast to coast, from Oregon sunstone to Maine tourmaline.

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Amit Lerner, an animal vision researcher based in Israel, wonders if navigation by sunstone would have been too cumbersome for the Vikings to pull off.

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Archaeological evidence that Vikings actually used sunstones is scant.

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A millennium ago, Viking navigators may have used crystals known as “sunstones” to navigate between Norway and Greenland.

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For decades, researchers have suggested that enigmatic “sunstones” mentioned in Viking tales such as “The Saga of King Olaf” were the key to navigating under less-than-sunny skies.

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