| How many places in the US can you find good | | | | from light to a medium dark shade. When this |
| facet & gem quality cabochon material | | | | material is properly cut it can be very striking. |
| together in one location, accessible and open to | | | | Proper orientation is an important item as the red |
| the public for collection with no fee? There are | | | | and green colors often occur together in the |
| only a very few places in the US where such | | | | same stone. Color zoning is very common in the |
| materials can be dug, and nearly all are on private | | | | red or green labradorite feldspars. In this material |
| property or under claim, with a fee charged to | | | | the color usually occurs concentrated in clots, |
| rock hounds. However, in south central Oregon, | | | | commonly located near the middle of the stone. |
| northeast of Plush, the BLM has set aside 4 | | | | The color may occupy 20 to nearly 100 percent |
| square miles for rock and mineral collectors to | | | | of the rough. This means that when the color |
| hunt for sunstones. No claims can be filled within | | | | spot is small, the cutter must carefully orient the |
| the BLM sunstone area, and there is no charge to | | | | stone so that the color fills the cullet area of the |
| prospect. Even though thousands of rock hounds | | | | finished gem. This allows the color to permeate |
| have visited this deposit, there are still plenty of | | | | the entire stone when viewed from a face up |
| gem stones to be found. There are also some | | | | position. When selecting rough for purchase, it is |
| pay to dig areas available where bull dozers and | | | | important to note a tendency in some red stones |
| heavy equipment move the material around to | | | | toward muddiness, sleepiness or a brownish color |
| make it easier for rock hounds. | | | | tone. |
| The transparent feldspar gems from this area | | | | The last 20 or so miles to the BLM sunstone area |
| come in a variety of colors, including pale yellow, | | | | is on fair to good dirt roads. In spite of this, |
| salmon pink, green and the highly desirable bright | | | | however, getting to the Plush site is no problem, |
| red. The area also produces a valuable | | | | as long as long as the roads are not too muddy, |
| adventurecent cabochon material with a bright | | | | and four wheel drive is not necessary. The area is |
| copper sheen. The red facetable feldspar found at | | | | in high desert sagebrush country, and consists of |
| the Plush deposit is a distinctly American gem, | | | | open flats with a few low rolling hills in the area of |
| being found only in Oregon. In addition, the quality | | | | the deposit. There are many flat open spots |
| of the copper colored sunstone material from | | | | suitable for camping at the BLM site. Most of |
| Oregon is better than anywhere else in the world. | | | | these are suitable for trailers or medium sized |
| The great variety of feldspar gems found at the | | | | motor homes. |
| Plush deposit all formed in a similar manner. They | | | | If you plan a visit to collect at the sunstone |
| are phenocrysts (large crystals) that grew in a | | | | deposit, the community of Plush, located about 18 |
| basaltic magma before the flow solidified. As the | | | | miles from the deposit, is the nearest source of |
| basalt was slowly cooling, these feldspar crystals | | | | food and gas. Plush is a small town of not more |
| grew out of the melt. The original size of these | | | | than about a hundred souls. Be sure to stop in at |
| crystals ranged from less than 1/2 inch to over 4 | | | | the store, as they have a good amount of quality |
| inches. Unfortunately, the forces associated with | | | | labradorite gems for sale both in cut and rough |
| solidification of the basalt and subsequent | | | | form. If nothing else, this will give the first time |
| weathering have shattered the originally large | | | | visitor a chance to see what he or she is looking |
| crystals into much smaller shards and fragments. | | | | for. The nearest town with full service |
| No whole crystals are found and in fact very few | | | | accommodations and supermarkets is Lakeview, |
| fragments show any sign at all of the original | | | | about 60 miles from the deposit. Lakeview is an |
| crystal faces. | | | | old lumber town and has the only active geyser in |
| The most highly prized of the facet roughs are | | | | the state of Oregon. |
| the bright red colored stones. The red color varies | | | | |