Orthoclase,potassium aluminum silicate,is a member of the large family of feldspars,and has been called the most common of all silicate minerals. It is a component of a huge variety of igneous and metamorphic rocks,and occurs all over the world. It is a primary constituent of granite and granite pegmatite,the latter being a host to many gem materials. Orthoclase displays monoclinic symmetry,as opposed to another related potassium feldspar,microcline,that has triclinic symmetry. Orthoclase is common as crystals,and these are usually twinned,i.e. intergrown along a specific symmetry axis or plane. Carlsbad twins are distinctive and useful in identification of the mineral |