Northwest Jewelry

Originally posted on 2-9-07 and now moved here.

Oregon Sunstones

Most gemstone jewelry contain gemstones that have been treated in some fashion. Treatments included heating, irradiation, oiling, dyeing, and others. Read more about gemstone treatments here.

Few gemstones are pretty enough naturally to be cut and set into jewelry without some type of enhancement to improve their color, clarity or general appearance.

The Oregon sunstone is the exception to this! Oregon sunstones are naturally beautiful and come in an array of colors: red in various shades, including ruby red, pink, orange, yellow, green, and clear. Additionally, some sunstones display their copper characteristics in the form of schiller, which are visible gold flakes or spots within the stone that sparkle in the light!

All of this with no treatment whatsoever! Here’s an example of schiller in a sunstone.

At Northwest Jewelry, we feature Oregon sunstones and are part owners of the largest sunstone mines in the world, the Ponderosa Mine. Read more about sunstones here or visit the official mine website, Desert Sun Mining & Gems, here. 

Sunstones are a uniquely beautiful and are the perfect gemstone for those who prefer natural beauty straight from the earth and warmed by the sun! Visit Northwest Jewelry to view and purchase fine sunstone jewelry!