Information
Oregon Sunstone Tips and Information
Oregon Sunstone as you can imagine comes from Oregon. Yes, this is a spectacular gem of the Great Northwest. In the past few years Oregon Sunstone has grown in popularity as a true gem.
Sunstones (or heliolite, the Greek term meaning sun--stone)also known as feldspar, are found throughout the world. However, the difference between Oregon Sunstones and other Sunstones, is found in the make up of the stones. Oregon Sunstone is the only Sunstones with Copper.
Remember though, some may not contain the Copper Schiller.
What makes the Copper variable important is that it can create a natural schiller (platelets of Copper) effect in many of the stones. The second thing Copper does for Sunstones, is that the beautiful colors that are created based on the amount of copper found within the make up of the Sunstone, this makes each Sunstone very unique and one of a kind.
Oregon Sunstones come in many variations and color, please see below:
Colors
Clear (looks like a diamond)
Light yellow (less than 20 parts per million of copper)
Light pink (less copper parts per million than the Light Red)
Light Red (Red color varies but can be up to 200 parts per million of copper, less copper the lighter the color)
Red (Red color varies but can be up to 200 parts per million of copper, more copper the darker the color)
Dark Red (Note that the red color varies but can be up to 200 parts per million of copper, more copper the Darker the color)
Green (Rare, with less than 100 parts per million of copper)
Blue/green (Rare, culmination of blue and green based on how you view the stone).
Some Sunstones have two distinct colors in the stone these are called Dichroic. Another interesting Sunstone is one that has three distinct colors and this Sunstone is called Trichroic.
Mines
There are currently two large Sunstone mines in operation, they are the Dust Devil Mine and the Ponderosa Mine within Oregon that produce the quality grade gemstones.
Where do Oregon Sunstones come from?
Oregon Sunstones are found in the basalt lava flows of South Eastern Oregon. You can use a pick and shovel and dig the earth placing it onto a sieve (sifter)and rock it back and forth to clean much of the debris, and then you can pick out the rough. It is this rough that is faceted into a gemstone. The commercial mines use large equipment in order to move the tremendous amount of earth to reach these precious stones.
Please respect these mines as they have claims to the mineral rights and folks need permission from the claim owners to do any collecting.
Where can I view and or buy Oregon Sunstones on the Web?
Oregon Sunstone Outlet mines rough Sunstones from the Dust Devil Mine.
Please take a moment and look at some of the beautiful faceted stones that are available. Another nice thing about the Oregon Sunstone Outlet site is that it has a monthly "Oregon Sunstone of the month" sale where you can pick up quality Oregon Sunstone gems at a discounted price.
Wayne Hussey
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