Sunstone Another Exotic Beauty

An exotic beauty all it’s own with copper striations running through it's gemstone skin. As stated by the Wikipedia, “Sunstone is a plagioclase feldspar exhibiting in certain directions a brilliant spangled appearance, which has led to its use as a gemstone. The effect appears to be due to reflections from enclosures of red haematite, in the form of minute scales, which are hexagonal, rhombic or irregular in shape, and are disposed parallel to the principal cleavage-plane. These enclosures give the stone an appearance something like that of aventurine, whence sunstone is known also as "aventurine-feldspar."

Sunstone is not common, the best-known locality being Tvedestrand, near Arendal, in south Norway, where masses of the sunstone occur embedded in a vein of quartz running through gneiss. It is found also near Lake Baikal, in Siberia, and at several localities in the United States, notably at Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Lakeview, Oregon and at Statesville, North Carolina.
The feldspar which usually displays the aventurine appearance is oligoclase, but the effect is sometimes seen also in orthoclase: hence two kinds of sunstone are distinguished as "oligoclase sunstone" and "orthoclase sunstone." The latter has been found near Crown Point and at several other localities in New York, as also at Glen Riddle in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and at Amelia Courthouse, Amelia County, and Virginia. Sunstone is also found in Pleistocene basalt flows at Sunstone Knoll in Millard County, Utah.”

However, I have Oregon Sunstone a rare beauty in the gemstone world. This unusual gemstone is found in Harney County, Oregon and also in eastern Lake County north of Plush. What make this natural beauty so unusual are the inclusions of coppery crystals, which leads to the varying color of some stones, but turn the stone in the light and the results will be a spectacular array of multi-colors and the more copper, the darker the stone.

Here is a website that discusses all about the Oregon Sunstone, called ironically ‘Oregon Sunstone’ and the Dust Devil Mine, where Oregon Sunstone is primarily mined. “The Oregon Sunstone is known to occur in only three small deposits in the Central Oregon High Desert, primarily at the Dust Devil Mine. Native Americans in the Northwest once picked up the glittering gems from the ground and traded them to early Western settlers. Oregon Sunstones are often found in sacred bundles and local burial sites. These stones were traded as far east as the Mississippi river, and as far north as Central Alaska.Natural Oregon Sunstones are gem quality. The properties and essence of each gemstone, hue, saturation, gradation, etc., are unique. The copper in Oregon Sunstone, unlike all other sunstone worldwide, gives this gem its unique brightness and vivid range of natural coloring, and the magical coppery reflection known as the Schiller Effect. Most importantly, the Dust Devil Mine Oregon Sunstones are guaranteed all natural and untreated. Don't confuse NATURAL Oregon sunstone with the 'red andesine' on the market. The 'andesine' material is generally heated and diffusion treated to give the color to the stones. Oregon sunstone can also be named 'red labradorite' or 'yellow labradorite'. As no two pieces of fine Black Opal or Pearls are identical, each Oregon Sunstone is unique and glorious.”

Historic and Healing Powers
Historically Sunstone is dedicated to the Greek sun-god Helios because of its golden sparkle. The Greeks believed that sunstone protected the earth from disaster and kept the sun on its right course. Its healing powers are to promote self-healing and stimulate vegetative nervous system and ensure harmonious functions of all human organs. It is very helpful to those that have lack of sleep or exhaustion. An added effect is that it is known to have positive effects on the psyche, promoting good humor, cheerfulness and a good temper in the wearer. So if you are in need of self-confidence, self-esteem and a positive attitude to build upon one’s own strengths, then Sunstone would be a gemstone of your choice.

Wooden Holiday Gifts

Looking for yet another unusual and unique gift for the Holidays? A wine topper and cork screw are just the ticket made from exotic woods is perfect for wine lovers. How about a nice pen or pencil set for that perfect teacher or professor? In need of just a little stocking stuffer, pick a wooden keychain, to hold either toothpicks or little tools.

An incredible wood craftsman, my dad, makes all things wood and has for many years. He designs and creates some of the most dramatic wood wine toppers and cork screws, pen – pencil sets, and much more.

He buys some very exotic woods such as Zebra, Brazilian, Hawaiian, Jerusalem, and even your more common varieties such as Cherry, Oak, and Maple. He then handcrafts the wood pieces on a lathe, making intricate cuts, rounding corners, and filing down the wood pieces, into these awesome creations! Once the wood pieces are complete, he then starts the process of putting all the pieces together, kind of like a jig-saw puzzle.



For more information and how to purchase any of these items and more, please contact him via email.

Affordable Holiday Gifts

The state of the economy has left many people worried, unsettled or rethinking their financial situation and holiday gift buying; but still many are looking for that unique and affordable holiday gift. That is where we come in; Timeless Designs offers natural gemstone jewelry uniquely handcrafted into one-of-a-kind pieces for the individual and at affordable prices that won’t break the bank.

Buying exclusive, handcrafted jewelry doesn’t have to be expensive; and by no means does it mean that we have sacrificed the quality of the piece for lower prices. To bring exquisite natural gemstone jewelry designs to you, this year we went direct and traveled to the world’s 2nd largest Gem & Mineral Show in Tucson, Arizona. There we shopped from thousands of vendors at hundreds of shows in the gemstone and jewelry industry. We came across and purchased some of the most unusual cuts and selection of natural gemstones and metal beads ever seen. This allows us to create some fresh, unique and individual design pieces, like no others, at affordable prices to our clients.
Shop our website and purchase necklaces, necklace sets, earrings, bracelets, and smart pendants. Choose from jewelry designs in an array of coral, turquoise, agate, jasper, and onyx; accented with our trademark wire sculpture links, twists, and spirals; then highlighted with metal spacers in silver, gold, and copper along with Swarvoski crystals, Dichroic pendants, pearls, and glass Czech beads.

Each purchase comes with a gift box all set for giving; just add your own card or wrap and you’re ready to give a one-of-a-kind jewelry design to anyone.

So what are you waiting for…visit us at our last show of the season November 22nd – 23rd here in San Antonio and chose from among our collection of distinctively handcrafted jewelry or browse our website and purchse from the comforts of your home or office.

Artistic Wire Used in Jewelry

There are different wires an Artist can chose from to make links, chains, or jewelry findings. Wires range from sterling silver, 14-18k gold, gold-filled, to copper, brass and now artistic wire in colored or non-tarnish forms. With the price of gold and silver on the rise, I’ve turned to using non-tarnish artistic wire to incorporate into my creations; allowing me to still get that everlasting high gloss of silver, brass or gold without the tarnish.

Artistic wire is created by Artistic Wire Ltd., offering non-tarnish wire and permanent colored copper wire available in 50 colors and 14 gauges. They also offer silver-plated colored copper wire available in 8 sizes and 13 colors. The wire is either vinyl coated copper or silver-plated and dyed wire, but the shiny silver, gold or brass wires usually have an anti-tarnish coating; allow the wire to resist tarnish as long as the coating is intact. It has a harness of soft in the wire world and generally requires ‘hardening’ to keep its shape. Soft wire bends easier and tends to remain in place once it is bent. Soft wire is perfect for making spirals and other rounded shapes, making it easy to mold the wire into any shape one desires.

Depending on the design I’ll use different gauges of wire; for links in necklaces and bracelets I use heavy 16-18g wire and for small findings I’ll use a medium-small 20-22gauge. And when making the coils in rings I turn to even smaller gauges of 24-28g wire over 18-20g wire. All of these are done using the non-tarnish or coated colored wire; which allows me to bring designs to my customers at the same quality of sterling silver or gold, but at a much lower cost. I still work with sterling silver and will note the wire used in every design, though the luster will eventually fade with sterling silver, non-tarnish wire requires a lot less cleaning to keep the color and shiny effect.

Once the jewelry design is complete I need to harden the wire to keep the desired shape. This is done by putting the piece in a tumbler, with water and cleaner for about 15-20 minutes. This hardens the wire and also cleans the jewelry of any grease, minerals or oils that come from naturally working with the wire and stones. The jewelry is then completely ready to be photographed and wrapped for a show or shipped off to a customer.

You can find artistic wire at any local hobby or craft store, or online at any number of wholesale vendors. Visit my website and browse through the selection of wire sculptured designs using the artistic wire.