Orthoclase (plumbian) (rare green color)

Item Description

At first I had to do a double take when I saw the label for this piece because green Feldspar is not something that one would expect to see from Broken Hill. Outside of Amazonite (which is Microcline), I can't think of many Feldspar species that have this rich green hue, and I can't recall seeing another Orthoclase like from any locality. With that said, this small cabinet specimen hosts several partial crystals of rich green colored Orthoclase that are actually a bit gemmy when backlit, associated with dark grey metallic Galena (a sure indicator that it's from Broken Hill). I found a few other pieces of this material online, which refer to it as plumbian (lead-bearing) Orthoclase, which makes sense and lead also contributes to the green color of Amazonite. It's more of a reference specimen, because the Orthoclase crystals are cleaved, but if you collect Broken Hill material or you're a fan of Feldspars, this is something that is virtually unseen on the market today, and it's actually quite attractive when you hold it in your hands.
From the collection of Gerry Morvell.