Adularescence
magnificent views seen below the surface of certain gemstones when light passes thru lines
Adularescence ( AJ-ə-lə-RES-əns) is an optical phenomenon that is produced in gemstones like moonstone. The optical effect is similar to labradorescence and aventurescence.
Description
The effect of adularescence, also commonly referred to as schiller or shiller, is best described as a milky, bluish luster or glow originating from below the surface of the gemstone. The schiller, appearing to move as the stone is turned (or as the light source is moved), gives the impression of lunar light floating on water (accounting for moonstone's name). Though white schiller is the most common, in rarer specimens, orange or blue lusters are produced.
This effect is most typically produced by adularia, a K-feldspar or orthoclase (KAlSi3O8), from which the name is derived. Adularescence appears in other gemstones, notably common opal, rose quartz and agate. However, due to inclusions in these other stones, the effect is displayed differently. The schiller is scattered by inclusions and appears hazy; non-hazy specimens are specially referred to as "milky". Thus, adularescence occurring in non-adularia gemstones is termed differently – the "girasol effect" and opalescence (for opals only) are two such terms.
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This entry incorporates text from “Adularescence” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.