Learn about sunstone's durability and how to care for your sunstone jewelry.

Not all feldspars that bear the name “sunstone” are from the same side of the feldspar family—both the orthoclase and the plagioclase species boast a sunstone feldspar variety. The name sunstone refers to the gem’s appearance rather than to its chemical makeup.

In the early 1800s sunstone was a little-known, rare, and costly gemstone. It wasn’t until finds in Norway, Siberia, and other parts of the world that sunstone became somewhat more widely recognized, more available, and less expensive.

Learn about the factors that make sunstone so desirable.

The first of a three-part series exploring Oregon’s state gem reports on a July 2013 visit to the Ponderosa mine, a prolific sunstone source surrounded by majestic ponderosas.

The

The final part of the