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MINES
& MINERS
mines & miners
Mining Oregon Sunstone is a fun, extremely demanding, and an addictive business. Some Sunstone mining claims are small operation, while others are much larger. We want to help every miner maximize their exposure in the industry for free. If you want to include information about your mine, fee digging options, etc... please send your information as you would like it presented to info@ORsunstone.com. We will do our best to help your business grow.
Natural Oregon Sunstone is untreated, very rare, diverse and extremely beautiful. Mexican, African and other treated feldspars are occasional sold as Oregon Sunstone. The Oregon Miners Association (OSMA) is primarily dedicated to protecting the marketplace against unscrupulous dealers who sell cheap treated oligoclase/feldspar as authentic copper bearing Oregon Sunstone. Visit the OSMA site to learn more about their membership, meetings, and other resources they provide. The OSMA logo, displayed here, assures you are buying authentic Oregon Sunstone.
oregone sunstone mines & miners
pana mine
mine owner: Ravenstein Gem Co., LLC (2016-2019)
PANA Mines was discovered in 2011 in a very remote location called Little Eagle Butte. It consists of 4 full size 20.6ac claims located on top of an ancient volcano. PANA Mine produces some of the most valued colors in unmatched size, clarity and a full spectrum of colors including yellow, orange, red, blue-teal, green and multicolor. Many of our gems show a strong dichroic shift with some being bi-color as well resulting in finished cut gems exhibiting two or more distinctively different colors. Type and intensity of each color is gradually changing based on angle of view.
Top gems from PANA Mine are fast getting international recognition with dealers, jewelry makers and investors.
CONTACT INFO
pana-mine.com
Tel: 1-(619) 452-9820
SUNSTONE BUTTE MINE
mine ownerS: David Wheatley &
Tammy Moreau
Sunstone Butte opened in 2009 and operates on 5 full size 20.6ac claims located at already world-famous Little Eagle Butte. The mine is producing some of the best and rarest Oregon Sunstone ever discovered in full spectrum of colors from gold, yellow and pink thru red, green, blue-teal and multicolor. Stones from this mine were faceted and carved into many award-winning pieces and gems from this unique location are fast gaining world-wide recognition among jewelers and lapidaries. Sunstone Butte does not offer fee digging.
Sunstone Butte accepts wholesale and retail accounts, and provides consumers with an e-commerce shopping experience at sunstonebuttemine.com.
CONTACT INFO
Website: sunstonebuttemine.com
Tel: N/A
email: N/A
DOUBLE EAGLE MINE
mine ownerS: John & Debbie Aldrich
Meet The Owners of Double Eagle Mining Company, owner operators Debbie and John Aldrich. Both have strong interest in rare gemstones and being able to mine this rare Oregon Copper Bearing Sunstone and to make it available to the world is a privilege to both. John, being of Native American heritage believes strongly in being a good steward of the earth and to make sure it is preserved for future generations.We look forward to helping you with your purchase of Oregon Sunstone. We sell direct to the industry and the public alike.
Double Eagle Mining Company is a privately owned environmentally conscious mining operation founded in 2004. We strive to meet or exceed all local, state and federal requirements and regulations.We operate under a State and Federal approved plan of operation. Under this plan we have in place a secured deposit of guaranty bond’ to insure that all necessary reclamation will be completed and/or the cost of reclamation covered. We are registered with, licensed, and/or hold all necessary permits required by Lake County, Harney County, State of Oregon, The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), United States Department of Labor, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
We are a mine direct supplier of Plush Oregon Sunstone. Double Eagle Mining operates over 200 acres of Oregon Sunstone producing Feldspar Basalt flows in the Plush Oregon area. We are located in the high desert of south central Oregon, north west from the town of Plush Oregon.
Double Eagle Mining is a mining company of the worlds rarest known gemstone, Oregon Copper Bearing Sunstone.
We are one of a very small group of full time mining companies of Plush Oregon Copper Bearing Sunstone, which is the rarest top gem quality Copper Bearing Gemstone. We offer to the world a great opportunity to buy direct from the miners one of the earths rarest known gemstone.
CONTACT INFO
Website: doubleeaglemine.com
Tel: (541) 417 - 0158
email: info@doubleeaglemine.com
DUST DEVIL MINE
mine owner: Don Buford
During the Fall of 1991, almost 30 years ago, rock hounds and lapidaries Terry and Jude Clark and Don and Patsy Buford decided to look into filing gemstone claims in Oregon. After searching all available BLM records, they discovered three abandoned Sunstone claims in the high desert near Plush Oregon they had previously collected from.
On February 1, 1992 Don, Terry and Don's son Clay drove to the abandoned claims. After spending the night in a Geo Metro while the outside temperature dropped to around 10 degrees, the claims were located and staked. The partners spent long weekends and vacations digging and breaking up rocks with 16 pound sledge hammers. After hand screening, having the gems cut, and setting them in gold, they found that they had created beautiful sellable jewelry.
The partners decided to mechanize the operation and incorporate their businesses. After welcoming Steve Hackler, equipment operator and mechanic to the company, a home made screening plant was constructed from salvage materials. An ancient backhoe was purchased and the race was on to see if enough material could be mined and sold to keep the company afloat.
After three years the men left their jobs and moved to the desert for half of each year to mine. The number of claims grew from three to nine, then fifteen, seventeen, and now twenty-five, including opal and varicite claims in Nevada and fire agate claims in California. In 2008 they purchased an optical sorter and over the decades their material has won many AGTA spectrum and cutting edge awards.
Dust Devil remains one of the oldest modern mines in Oregon, and the owners have introduced Oregon Sunstone to more kids, families, jewelers, retailers, wholesalers than anyone else in the industry. The mine is currently operated by Don Buford and his wife Patsy Buford, two people who dedicates their life to mining and marketing America’s greatest gemstone.
Dust Devil Mining Company is Oregon’s premier Sunstone Fee-Digging venue. Kids and Families can visit and prospect virgin ground in a welcoming and friendly environment. Meet and talk to Don, and learn about all he has done to contribute to American History.
After 25 years in business this mine is currently up for sale. Details about the sale can be found on Dust Devil website.
CONTACT INFO
Website: dustdevilmining.com
Tel: (503) 559-2495, (503) 881-0850
ponderosa MINE
mine owner: Desert Sun Mining & Gems
The Ponderosa deposit was discovered in the summer of 1980 when a logging operation cut roads through the area and cowboys running range cattle discovered clear crystals on the surface. Gem broker Larry Gray first worked the claim, the third known deposit of Sunstone in Oregon. As mining activities continued it became obvious that the Ponderosa produced the widest range of colors in labradorite feldspar ever discovered.
Oregon sunstone comes in all shades of the rainbow, although colors of red, salmon, and green are the most sought after and command the highest prices. At its best, the red facet grade material from the Ponderosa Mine is as fine a color as the finest ruby or red spinel from Burma, the blue greens are like emeralds, the gray greens like green diamonds, and the peaches and orange roses can double for imperial topaz.
In 1985, miners unearthed an enormous piece of rough weighing approximately 40 carats. It was then faceted into three separate stones, one of which was a deep red sunstone weighing 10.7 carats. It was named the Ponderosa Queen and caused such a sensation that the Oregon legislature adopted the rare labradorite as the official state gemstone. In September of 2003 Desert Sun Mining & Gems purchased the Ponderosa Mine. Soon after, owner John Woodmark found a gigantic stone that weighed approximately 310 carats. The rough stone was carved into two individual works of art, each of which contains all of the colors in the sunstone spectrum.
The Ponderosa Mine is a patented Oregon sunstone mine. This means that Desert Sun Mining & Gems legally owns all of the real estate.
The Mine is located in southeast Oregon, just outside of the town of Burns. It features 60 lush acres of Oregon's ponderosa pine trees, which makes for a unique park-like setting. The mine has several creature comforts, including a paved highway that leads right to the front gate. Ease of operation, almost antithetical to mining, is the hallmark of the Ponderosa.
The Ponderosa Mine is privately held by Desert Sun Mining & Gems and is NOT available for "Fee-Digging".
CONTACT INFO
desertsungems.com
Tel: 541-765-2215
email: N/A
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SPECTRUM MINE
mine owner: Chris Rose
Spectrum Mine is a 20 acre privately owned patented mining claim located 27 miles northeast of Plush, OR. Once owned by Tiffany’s of New York, it is Oregon’s first commercially operated Oregon sunstone mine. Also, it is one of the richest color Oregon sunstone deposits in the world, producing up to one kilo of colored sunstones per cubic yard of dirt. In June of 2004 Chris Rose, owner of Spectrum Mine, found a single pocket that contained ½ kilo of red labradorite sunstone.
Spectrum Sunstone Mine is open daily to the public for a free sunstone dig and a variety of other high-grade sunstone fee digs, from May 15th - October 15th (keep all you find).
CONTACT INFO
Website: highdesertgemsandminerals.com
Tel: Chris - (775) 772-7724, Denise - (775) 225-4245