A member of the feldspar family of minerals, amazonite is the name given to gem-quality green to greenish-blue microcline with distinctive white streaks. Usually lacking the transparency and crystal size ideally required for faceting, most material is fashioned into cabochons, carvings, beads or irregular tumbled forms. However, a small number of crystals from Myanmar’s famous Mogok gemstone tract have been faceted.

Also sometimes known as Amazon Stone, the mineral is named after a historical deposit located close to the Amazon river, but it is now believed that this green material was actually nephrite jade. While sources for genuine amazonite have since been found within Brazil, they are all located far from the river from which the mineral takes its name. Amazonite is also found in Russia, Madagascar, Ethiopia and the American state of Colorado, with the latter giving rise to the misnomer “Colorado jade”.