Finding Oregon’s official gem, the sunstone, for free or low cost can be done, but it’s not easy. A quiet Gold Rush continues in Oregon’s high desert. Serious rockhounds, weekend prospectors and people selling the state’s official gemstone are staking claims and digging for sunstones. The Oregon sunstone was named the state’s official gemstone in 1987. Popularity grew through marketing. The variety of sizes and colors makes Oregon sunstones ideal for small custom jewelers, says Steven Douglas, but difficult for a major retailer. More than a decade ago, Fred Meyer Jewelers sold Oregon sunstones, but to fill the jewelry cases in their many stores, they needed thousands of lookalike gems, and that, Douglas says, is “the antithesis of an Oregon sunstone.” Click on the link in our bio to read more. Photo by Tanya Barker #Sunstone #Oregon #gemstone