Can Sunstone Go In Water? (ANSWERED)

Can sunstone go in water? The short and direct answer is, yes, sunstone can go in water, though we don’t recommend long soaks.

In the article that follows, we’ll explain more about why sunstone can go in water, and you’ll also learn more about sunstone itself.

Can Sunstone Go In Water? (EXPLAINED)

Water exposure for a time won’t harm a sunstone rock or setting, and many times care and cleaning of the stone is recommended with water versus harsh cleaning chemicals.

Folks who avoid heavy-duty cleaning chemicals of any kind as they will easily strip the surface off the rock.

Sunstone should not be left in water for extended periods, either.

Doing so allows algae and contaminants to penetrate the rock, which in turn can cause issues later on, as well as dull the surface.

The Geological Nature of Sunstone

The sunstone is a particularly interesting gem-type rock that can be classified among feldspars.

This is a fairly broad group of similar rocks, ranging from amazonite to moonstone. When it comes to sunstone in particular, it gains its glittering features from inclusions that are naturally reflective of light.

Known technically as aventurescence, these inclusions can range from copper to hematite to other metallic elements trapped in the formation of the sunstone itself.

In many cases, the inclusions are small and give the stone a gold or reddish color.

However, some of the bigger examples can be separated from the rest of the rock and clearly seen as an additional component of the sunstone actively changing the angle of light hitting it.

Geography

Sunstone is mainly found in four particular locations in the world, which includes Canada, India, Norway and Russia.

While this might seem like a broad range of locations, there are smaller samples that appear from time to time in other locations, such as Oregon in the U.S.

In fact, there’s enough sunstone in Oregon that it ended up becoming the state’s official gemstone.

However, the high quantity of sunstone people come across in jewelry and similar comes from India.

The chemical composition of sunstone is, interestingly, salt-based.

Technically, the stone is a combination of aluminum, sodium, calcium and silicate.

Pressured together, it produces a rock with a hardness of 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, which is fairly hard (a diamond is 10).

Background

For many years, sunstone was rare and generally hard to find.

This scarcity helped boost the expensive price for the stone as it was hard to source and much harder to buy at retail.

However, when sizable amounts were found in Norway and Russia, the market was flooded and the price for the sunstone dropped dramatically.

The unique appearance of the stone has also caused it over time to have been symbolic of indigenous cultures when found in ancient periods.

One particular tribe referred to it as the blood of a great warrior killed by an arrow, and the life fluid turned into the reddish stone.

Metaphysical References and Usage

Anything with a relationship with the sun is going to get people’s attention, and the sunstone is no exception.

The ability for the stone to reflect light as well as the way that it seems to illuminate in daylight gives the rock a particular attraction, especially with the spiritual set.

For many in metaphysical circles, the sunstone is frequently associated with life creation and sustaining energy.

The stone is also given an affinity with leadership skills as well as being charitable and giving to others, and it is considered synonymous with being part of a protective community and watching out for others.

For ceremonial processes, sunstone is also used to symbolize cleansing phases in terms of removing corruption to chakras and people’s spiritual being.

As a result, sunstone tends to be a sought after rock type, and it will likely be priced accordingly if bought in spiritual and metaphysical supply stores.

Care and Treatment of Sunstone Pieces and Stones

The best one can do with cleaning a sunstone is to use basic water and soap.

Sunstone has a serious problem being damaged by any kind of hard cleaners such as acids or bleach.

Worse, ultrasonic cleaning tools will cause the stone to crack or fragment.

High heat is definitely not recommended as it will trigger a similar reaction.

Instead, a basic hand wash is the best approach, and jewelry settings can be air-dried before being stored in cloth-lined containers or jewelry boxes.

Settings in Jewelry

Many modern settings of sunstone today match the rock with a variety of metals ranging from gold to silver.

Because the reddish tint of the sunstone is so distinct and separate from other choices, it’s oftentimes matched in pairs or triplets with emeralds or deep sapphires.

Because the color scheme is so reminiscent of leaves in the latter half of the year, many folks wear their sunstone jewelry in the Fall to match the colorful display outside.

Owners should make a point of keeping their sunstone jewelry away from other pieces and settings.

While sunstone is a hard rock in the 6 range noted earlier, many other jewelry stones are harder.

Set next to each other, eventually, harder jewelry will start leaving minute scratches on a sunstone piece’s surfaces that become noticeable.

Final Thoughts

Sunstone is a unique gemstone choice that is still uncommon today, even with the additional market supply provided by Norway and Russia internationally.

And for folks who have a piece or sample, the stone can be easily cleaned and exposed to water without issue.

Just avoid harsh, stripping chemicals and anything involving vibration or exposure to other hard materials.