A type of feldspar mineral that is transparent or milky white and sometimes shows a shimmering effect called adularescence.
Named after Adula, a region in the Swiss Alps where the mineral was first discovered. The name comes from the Latin place name, and the mineral was identified and named by mineralogists in the 18th century.
Adularia is the source of 'moonstone,' that magical-looking gem you see in jewelry—the shimmer comes from light bouncing off microscopically thin layers inside the crystal, a phenomenon so cool it got its own name: adularescence.
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