Natural
Sunstone

Oregon sunstone is one of the rarest and most distinctive gemstones native to the United States — a copper-bearing feldspar found only in the remote high desert of southeastern Oregon, and the state's official gemstone since 1987. It is one of very few gem-quality stones in the world colored by native copper, the same element responsible for the extraordinary hues of Paraíba tourmaline.

The crystals grow embedded in ancient basaltic lava flows across the sagebrush wilderness of Harney and Lake counties, near the small town of Plush. The mining areas — including the renowned Ponderosa, Dust Devil, and Sunstone Butte mines — are accessible only from late spring to early fall, across miles of unpaved desert road. It is a stone that comes from a genuinely wild place.

The color range is extraordinary: pale straw and champagne through vivid tangerine and deep red to a rare, coveted green. The most prized specimens are dichroic — shifting between red and green as the stone turns in the light. Tiny platelets of native copper suspended within the crystal produce a glittering internal fire called schiller, visible as the stone moves. Fine specimens over five carats can command more than $1,000 per carat.

Unlike common sunstone found elsewhere in the world, Oregon sunstone is true labradorite — a richer, more complex feldspar with a depth and brilliance all its own. At Hemmingmoore's, we carry rough and faceted Oregon sunstone for collectors and jewelers, alongside select original sunstone jewelry — each stone as unique as the next.