• Andesine is a variety of the mineral feldspar.
• Andesine was originally discovered in 1841 in the Marmuto mine, Marmato, Cauca, Chocó Department, Colombia. Found in the andesite lavas in the Andes, andesine was the name given to this new gemstone. It wasn't until 2003, however, when a red variety of andesine was introduced to the market that andesine became popular.
• The blood red variety was discovered in 2002 in the Congo near the Goma region. The color was due to copper in andesine.
• Red andesine was introduced as a new gemstone from China in 2003. Its exact origins were never fully disclosed.
• With a lovely red, reddish pink, and orange-pink color, red andesine was popular because it rivaled the color of other red gemstones and provided a less expensive alternative.
• The andesine controversy occurred when testing proved that the andesine from China did not naturally occur in red. It was determined that the red color was the result of a diffusion treatment with copper into yellow labradorite.
• There are those who believe that andesine from the Congo was naturally colored red instead of being “color-enhanced” but there is no proof either way.
• After the discovery that red andesine was copper diffused labradorite, andesine was renamed andesine-labradorite. Even so, this gemstone is still often referred to as just “andesine”. “Red Labradorite”, “Congo Sunstone” and “Red Feldspar” are also some names given to red andesine.

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