Some Oregon Sunstone Jewelry Designed by Ranamountainstudio.com

Some recent designs with Oregon Sunstone Beads and Briolettes from ranamountainstudio.com-- your source for fine quality gemstone beads and jewelry.

Elegant and Girly Oregon Sunstone and Pink Spinel Briolette 12 K Gold Fill Earrings. Super Schillery (is that a word?) shimmering apricot Oregon Sunstone 8x11.5mm faceted pear shaped briolettes are adorned with rosy to lavender hued Spinel Tiny Teardrops. Earwire and chain are 12 K gold filled. If you want to make something similar yourself, try browsing both our Oregon Sunstone and Spinel Briolettes.


For a bolder look, we created these Oregon Sunstone Faceted Abstract Nugget 12K Gold Fill Earrings.

For this design we selected Oregon Sunstone Abstract Nuggets in medium to large-ish sizes (6-11x11-14mm) and spaced them with textured 12 K gold fill chain. With such unique and beautiful stones, designs this simple are effortlessly stunning!

This Oregon Sunstone Abstract Nugget and 12 K Gold Fill Chain Bracelet is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry (and is NOT for sale). I used Oregon Sunstone Nuggets similar to these and spaced them with textured gold filled chain and beads.  The chain makes it an adjustable length bracelet, in other words, "One size fits all"

I wear this bracelet so much that it seems to get tarnished more quickly. I was quite distressed to see that the 12 K gold filled wire was starting to show very heavy tarnish not just on the chain which I was able to polish away with a sunshine cloth, but also in the drill holes where I could not access and clean. Finally I tried soaking the bracelet overnight in a small bowl of vinegar and most of the tarnish disappeared! Something to keep in mind when you want to remove tarnish from hard to reach areas.

Brown is Beautiful! Color Change Garnet and Zircon

The color change is quite subtle, but the brilliance and sparkle of these stones is amazing!

The photos pick up more of the red tones-- in real life the predominant color is more greenish- brown with glimpses and glints of rosy brown.For obvious reasons Color Change Garnet is often compared to Alexandrite, but it is much more affordable and desirable in its own right. 



Another example of beautiful browns would have to be these radiant Zircon Micro Faceted Tiny Full Teardrop Briolettes. 

I guess as general description you could call them brown, but to my eye there are sophisticated taupes, russet red browns, and dusty mauves.  The colors are understated and subtle, but coupled with the inherent brilliance of Zircon the effect is luminous without being gaudy.

For a Fresh Start, Try Transcendent Chrysoprase, the color of abundant spring

Chrysoprase derives its name from the Greek "Chrysos prason" meaning Golden Leek. It was reported to be the favorite stone of Alexander the Great of Macedonia, as well as Frederick the Great of Prussia and Queen Anne of England.


With it's vivid and pure apple green color, it is the most valuable member of the Chalcedony family. Unlike some other commercial varieties of Chalcedony and Quartz on the market today, the color of Chrysoprase is completely natural. The color comes from nickel. Even though the color is natural, the color can fade in prolonged sunlight or extreme heat. Color may come back under moist storage. With normal wear conditions color fade should not be a problem, but consumers should be aware of this and know to keep the stone stored properly.

Chrysoprase is one of those stones that I think is just as pretty in its less pristine state, inclusions and all. As an example the Chrysoprase faceted round beads shown above have a little touch of brown matrix accenting the lush, minty- green stones for an entrancing effect.

Or take a look at these large Chrysoprase with Matrix Briolettes. Every stone is like an abstract Japansese Landscape-- the deep tones of the matrix swirling against the velvety green background.
And tho I admire the more rustic Chrysoprase with matrix, the cleaner matrix free stones are equally enchanting. These translucent pure green faceted pears are now available in a variety of sizes-- from petite 4x6mm to large focal sized 10x13mm.


We also have 3-4mm AAA Chrysoprase Faceted Rondelle Beads and Faceted Heart Briolettes in a variety of sizes from 8mm to large 16x18mm focals.

Try Zircon for Brilliant Luster, Color, and Light!

Zircon is a natural stone mined from the earth. It has a high refractive index and strong dispersion which lends to it's intense fire and brilliance approaching that of diamonds. Colorless Zircon has been used as an alternative for Diamonds which has somewhat tarnished Zircon's reputation as a "cheap substitute".




True, it is less expensive than diamonds, but is still a precious stone, and this incandescent sparkler should be recognized for its own rare qualities. In addition to its radiance Zircon comes in a lustrous array of colors including, yellow, silver, brown and a silvery blue similar to Aquamarine but arguably better and definitely more intense.

These Blue Zircon Micro Faceted Rounds are perfect for adding luminous balls of aqua blue sparkle to your designs.
Or try these Tiny Blue Zircon Micro Faceted Rondelles in graduated shades of silver to silvery aqua.



If you are looking for Briolettes try these Blue Zircon Pointy Full Marquis Brios, or these Classic Blue Zircon Tiny Faceted Teardrops

Rich Golden Citrine Focal Briolettes and more...

I have just gotten in some gorgeous new Citrine Beads and must proclaim their splendor. Maybe I am just tired of the endless, cold, damp and grey days up here in Seattle; maybe it is a yearning for more prosperous times, but suddenly I am infatuated with Citrine!

Take a look at these Huge Citrine Focal Briolettes, the color so rich and golden, the cut so fine, the large size all combine for an opulent blaze of luxury. Ranging in size from about 13-14x20-23mm wide by tall, they are also quite plump and are at least 9-10mm thick.


I also recommend these Golden Citrine Abstract Cut Rondelles.

With their warm and brilliant color, and artistic cut, these gems would make a stunning choker or bracelet. Imagine them combined with 14 ct gold chain or beads. Or perhaps mixed with Oregon Sunstone. Elegance with an independent streak...


One of our most popular items are these Citrine Faceted Coins. They are about 9-10mm and are a great choice for earrings. We try to keep them in stock all the time so you can always get more when your initial pieces sell out. Use them with gold filled or vermeil findings, or combine them with London Blue Topaz for a striking color combo.


If you want something more natural and chunky, you may want to try these Citrine Faceted Nuggets. They have an organic and "crackly" look and colors range from more delicate lemon ice to sunny yellow. Great for chunky bracelets, funky earrings, or to use singly as intriguing focal beads.

Optical Properties of Gemstones

Most of us gem lovers are especially intrigued by the unique optical properties of various gemstones (like the flashy blue schiller in these Labradorite Nuggets). In this post I will define and give examples of the some of the most fascinating optical properties of gemstones.


Refractive Index is a measure of how much the light refracts (breaks up) when entering the stone. "From Gemstones of the World" by Walter Schumann : "Most of us, when children, noticed that when a stick was immersed in water at a slant, it appeared to 'break' at water level...what we observed was caused by the refraction of light." Generally in transparent stones the higher the refractive index, the greater the luster and brilliance. Diamond, Zircon, and Sapphire all have relatively high refractive indexes.

As can be seen in this image of Blue Zircon Faceted Round Beads the stones have great luster and brilliance, due to the high Refractive Index as well as Dispersion. Color dispersion describes the process of white light separating into it's spectral colors. It is what causes the "fire", flashes of color, observed in diamonds. Diamonds, Cubic Zirconia ( or "CZ" a man-made stone) and Zircon (a natural stone), are examples of gems with high dispersion.


Pleochrosim describes how some stones will display different colors or depth of color when viewed from different angles. The stone may appear to change colors when moved around in the light. When cutting stones with strong pleochroism a cutter will need to carefully consider this and find the angles that display the best color. While often pleochroism can be problematic, sometimes the pleochroism is very desirable, and in that case the cutter will try to empasize the color dance effect. Gems with strong pleochrosim include Iolite, Andalusite, and Oregon Sunstone. The above photo shows Andalusite Faceted Heart Briolettes with an earthy mix of rosy browns and mossy greens.


Silk is an effect caused by the reflection of light by fibrous or needle-like inclusions. A similar phenomena is known as Chatoyancy where the silky appearance causes a cat's eye effect. The Chatoyant Scapolite Faceted Coins in the above image is an illustration of intense silk and cat's eye effect. Silk is especially desirable in Ruby and Sapphire. Crysoberyl, Tiger Eye, and Aquamarine are some of the many stones which will sometimes display chatoyancy.




Adularescence is a term used to describe the satiny sheen or "billowy light" that glides over the surface of Moonstone species. Note the satiny sheen on these Grey Moonstone Faceted Leaf Cut Briolettes----or the luminous gleam on these Ceylon Moonstone Heart shaped briolettes.

Schiller is the term for metallic iridescence or "flash" we covet so much in the Labradorite species. Most familiar is the blue-green shimmer against a grey base for example is these Labradorite Faceted Pear Briolettes

Oregon Sunstone

Anyone who has visited my website www.ranamountainstudio.com must know that I am a little obsessed with this stone, as I have over 100 unique examples of Oregon Sunstone listed on the site --and still more in my private stash.


With delectable colors, fantastic coppery schiller, and other intriguing optical phenomena Oregon Sunstone is truly sublime.

Colors range from pale gold, to rosy apricot, to deep red and even occasionally green or blue green tones. Often stones are washed with metallic schiller that dances in the light. This schiller effect is caused by copper platelet inclusions. Stones are sometimes bicolored or tricolored and may be pleiochroic meaning they change colors when viewed from different angles.

Here are some gorgeous Oregon Sunstone Full Teardrop Briolette Beads in an intense red-- some stones exhibiting bicolored tinges of spruce green within the red:














And below are some specimens with intense schiller in a faceted pear briolette shape (L) or smooth polished nuggets (R)
















This is just a small sampling of what is available for jewelry designers and collectors.
There is much to learn about this fascinating stone; If you would like to read on for more Information about Oregon Sunstone including the history, geology and other details, click on the link to read my Oregon Sunstone information site.