Types of Obsidian: The specimens shown above are from Glass Butte rockhounding site in central Oregon. For a large list of these mines, visit our There are over 100 mines in the United States where anyone can visit, pay a small fee, look for gems and minerals, and keep what they find.
Hard-rock mining of the basalt is sometimes done, but it is less successful because the feldspar cleaves easily and breaks during extraction. They can be screened by hand from soils which have developed above the basalts. This makes production a labor-intensive job. The sunstones are found as phenocrysts in a small number of basalt flows. Oregon Sunstone the state's official gemstone. Quality material cut by a skilled artisan is so attractive that the State Legislature named To do this, the copper platelets should be parallel to the top andīottom of the stone.
Material with platelets is usually cut to produce flashes of light when the stone is viewed in the face-up orientation. Sunstone is cut into faceted stones and cabochons. This interaction with light produces the phenomenon known as aventurescence. Flashes can also be observed by moving the light source or changing the angle When these stones are played in the light, bright copper-colored flashes are produced as the stone passes These platelets are often in alignment within the stone, and light entering the stone at the proper angle will simultaneously reflectįrom them. Some specimens of Oregon Sunstone contain microscopic copper platelets suspended throughout the material. Multiple colors are often found in the same crystal, making bicolor and tricolor stones possible. They can be found in colors that range from clear through yellow, orange, pink, red, green, and blue. The name " Oregon Sunstone" is used for gem-quality feldspars from Oregon, with and without aventurescence. Oregon produces some of the best gem-quality feldspar in the world. To give you the best chance of success, you should also read their website to learn about collecting methods, tools needed, anticipated weather, and nearby lodging or camping. If you plan to visit any of these locations, be sure to check their websites or contact them in advance to be sure that they are open for visitors, because fee mining is a seasonal activity. At these locations you can pay a fee, look for sunstone, and keep what you find. (The map above is from the BLM sunstone mining area brochure.)įee mining for Oregon Sunstone can be done at the Spectrum Mine and the Dust Devil Mine, both near Plush, Oregon. There you can collect sunstone for personal use, but you are not allowed to collect for trade or commercial purposes.
Dendrite gemstone free#
Here is a list of these " fee mining sites," where anyone can pay a fee and look for gems and minerals.Ī free location is the Bureau of Land Management's Oregon Sunstone Public Collection Area. Oregon sunstone collecting: There are a few places where you can go to collect Oregon Sunstone.
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