Oregon Sunstone gets it’s color from copper platelets embedded in the feldspar.
The cutter must orient the natural stone just right in order to get the best display of this phenomena.
This is a piece we mined recently from the Spectrum Sunstone Mine just outside of Plush, Oregon.
Here is a picture from a different angle:
After cleaning up the stone – removing the native basalt and some rough spots, the best angle for viewing is determined and the stone is preformed and attached to the faceting machine.
I usually start on the pavilion which is the bottom of the gem. The stone is cut
and polished.
Then it is transferred end-to-end and the process is repeated on the crown which is the face up side of the stone.
The stone is finished, ready to set. Notice the schiller – thousands of tiny droplets blending as wisps of copper within the gem.
