Editing Orthoclase (section)

==Applications==
[[Image:Adularia with Pyrite mg 7940.jpg|thumb|left|Adularia ({{chem2|KAlSi3O8}}) with [[pyrite]] ({{chem2|FeS2}}) incrustations]]
Together with the other potassium feldspars, orthoclase is a common raw material for the manufacture of some [[glass]]es and some [[ceramic]]s such as [[porcelain]], and as a constituent of scouring powder.

Some intergrowths of orthoclase and [[albite]] have an attractive pale [[luster (mineralogy)|luster]] and are called [[Moonstone (gemstone)|moonstone]] when used in jewelry. Most moonstones are translucent and white, although grey and peach-colored varieties also occur. In gemology, their luster is called [[adularescence]] and is typically described as creamy or silvery white with a "billowy" quality. It is the [[state gem]] of [[Florida]].

The gemstone commonly called ''rainbow moonstone'' is more properly a colorless form of [[labradorite]] and can be distinguished from "true" moonstone by its greater transparency and play of color, although their value and durability do not greatly differ.

Orthoclase is one of the ten defining minerals of the [[Mohs scale]] of mineral hardness, on which it is listed as having a hardness of 6.

[[NASA]]'s [[Curiosity (rover)|''Curiosity'' rover]] discovery of high levels of orthoclase in Martian sandstones suggested that some [[Martian]] rocks may have experienced complex geological processing, such as repeated melting.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/june/nasa-s-mars-curiosity-rover-marks-first-martian-year-with-mission-successes|title=NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover Marks First Martian Year with Mission Successes|date=23 June 2014}}</ref>