Oregon Sunstones

I just got back from visiting my home town Portland, Oregon. I had a great trip! The weather was beautiful, in the low 80s all week long! It was really nice to visit with friends and family! One of my high school friends got married and we also celebrated my Grandpa's 83 birthday! Anyway, while I was home I got some wonderful Oregon Sunstones. I am very lucky because my parents who are retired actually go and mine the stones themselves. The picture's above show two pieces that I made from the stones my parents found. I also buy some stones from our really good friends who have a business selling gem stones called Rogue Gems. I thought it would be fun to take a few moments and explain why Oregon Sunstone is so great! Oregon Sunstone is a type of feldspar. It is a rare member of the feldspar group that is only found in Oregon, and it is Oregon's state gemstone. Now, it can be confusing because there are several different members in the feldspar group. Oregon Sunstone is a Labradorite Feldspar. What makes Oregon Sunstone so rare is the presence of copper in the feldspar crystal structure. This makes Oregon Sunstone different from all other Labradorite Feldspar. Oregon Sunstone is found in a wide range of colors from clear, to red, orange, pink, peach, and green. It is also common to see bi-color and tri-color Oregon Sunstones. Many of them also have copper inclusions called shiller that look like copper glitter! I love working with Oregon Sunstones! I have found that they look great on all skin tones! It is also surprising how many outfits in my closet look great with sunstones. They especially come alive and sparkle in the sunshine outside!