1.62ct Oregon Sunstone with AAA schiller

This stone originated at the Sunstone Butte mine. This higher elevation mine (about 15 miles from the Sunstone Collection area) has an abundance of darker colored greens and bicolor Oregon Sunstones. This one is cut in a rectangle with concave cuts on the sides to give it extra refraction. Photos just don't do this stone justice. The stone weighs 3.85ct and measures 7.8x12mm.

Here's a nice little Oregon Sunstone with some fantastic color and copper schiller. Oregon Sunstone is such a fun material because no two stones are ever 100% alike. This one has that AAA copper schiller, and the color is a nice dark pink, a little less orange than some. The color is almost what I'd call a Padparadscha pink. There are many legends around Oregon Sunstone and Sunstone in general. The Northern Piute legend is that a great warrior fell wounded by an enemies arrow. The warriors blood carried his spirit into the stones, staining them red and giving them sacred power. The Norse were known to have used calcite to be able to determine the location of the sun on overcast days, but this is different from the silicate feldspar we know as Sunstone today. While there are other feldspar materials known as Sunstone, Oregon Sunstone is the only one with the unique copper inclusions. This particular gem weighs 1.02ct and measures 6mm. It's cut into a cute cushion design that would work well in a ring or a small pendant.

This stone has golden overtones with hints of green. It measures 15.3x15.3 and is 12.5mm deep. This would make an amazing pendant. Oregon Sunstone, the state's official gemstone, comes in colors ranging from warm pinks and brilliant red or reddish orange to deep green and teal, but champagne is the most common color found. The colors come from microscopic copper platelets within the stone. Sometimes, they appear as bright coppery "schiller," and other times, they appear as colors in the stone. Many stones will have both. Typically, Oregon Sunstone crystals are not big enough to produce a stone of this size. Many crystals found are 5-20ct. A stone of 50-60cts is rare.

This bright red and gold bi-color Oregon Sunstone has some brilliant color to it. It shows some dazzling "schiller," the name for the tiny bits of copper inside the stone that catch the sun and shine so beautifully. The color is mostly red with hints of orange and gold. As with most Oregon Sunstone, it will change depending upon the light and viewing angle. The stone weighs 6.8ct and measures 17x11mm, making it the perfect size for a pendant or brooch.