Sunstones
Sunstone, to me (David), is a multi-family adventure in mining, sorting, and marketing from the tiny town of Plush in southwestern Oregon. There is no nearby interstate highway or airport. Whenever Becky and I see Judy and Jolene, who head one of these large, extended family mining ventures, we are shown photos of the family standing beside large conveyor belts that move ore from trucks to a dump site. The family members pull off the pieces of sunstone and get excited about the occasional large sunstone.
I’ve read about – but have not tried – fee digging in an area set aside for this purpose and not mined with equipment. Apparently people have found some very nice stones, and they only pay for the stones they take away. Recently the major mines have employed larger, more modern equipment, and this should make sunstone more available. The brilliant, warm yellows of sunstone remind us of the beach along Sleeping Bear Bay, but what is it and where did it come from?
Oregon sunstone is a feldspar crystal formed in molten lava and then discharged onto the surface of the earth by a volcano. As the lava weathers away or is broken up, the crystals are released.
Oregon is one of the few places in the world with gem-grade crystals of this feldspar colored by copper. Some of these sunstones contain millions of tiny particles of copper or pyrite that cause a shimmer caller “schiller.” This may appear as snowflakes, stripes, or even an apparent solid surface of copper in the sunstone. Each one is unique, and the effect of the schiller can be stunning. I’ll share more about sunstones in the tea-in-the-garden talk tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, July 24th. Please ask us for more information about these teas. Everyone is welcome to attend and I hope to see you there.
Click for Sunstone and Drusy Pin details, ordering and larger photo
Click for Sunstone Necklace details, ordering and larger photo
Click for Sunstone Pendant details, ordering and larger photo
