Home Grown Beauty

What's peachy, brownish, reddish, and sometimes maybe green? To up the interest, some of this is bi-colored; a little rusty red, a little pine green. It's Oregon Sunstone, which is the state stone of Oregon.

This American beauty is a curiously transparent feldspar that shows the inclusions hidden within the crystal. This gemstone is found in remote areas of the High Desert in Oregon. Their jazzy apearance is due to reflective inclusions that sparkle plenty through these transparent stones. Hematite, or goethite are the shiny bits hidden in various other sunstone types. Copper contributes the schiller effect in Oregon sunstone, providing a free show to enraptured viewers.

Their popularity has broadened from being collected solely by hobbyist rockhounds to today where artist jewelers value them for their alluring inclusions which are central to their total design. While they are a newer find with today's gem buffs, Oregon sunstone was once fancied by Native Americans who scoured the grounds for the sparkly bits and used them as barter.

Image Courtesy John Dyer: 9.64 ct Oregon Sunstone Dreamscape™ Photography by Lydia Dyer