Oregon Independence Day

[YourGemologist]

3 July 2009

ISG at Plush Oregon 2009 Part I: Oregon Independence Day!
Its time to meet the people who are really behind the Oregon sunstone!



As we peruse through several hundred photographs of our ISG at Plush Oregon 2009 field trip in preparation for our video slide tour, we wanted to begin with this presentation of the most important part of this entire story….the people. Over the past couple of years when discussing the andesine issues, the industry has talked about the “ Oregon material” as if it comes from a nameless faceless place somewhere in the desert of Oregon .

In truth, for every Oregon sunstone you see on the market there is an Oregon sunstone miner behind it, both men and women and young and old. People who moved out to one of the most desolate places in America to endure heat and cold that are beyond most folk’s ability to operate, and to do so without the aid of electricity or water other than what they could carry into the desert to survive.







Over the past 20 years or so, these rugged folks carved out a market for one of the most rare and unusual gemstones to be found on earth…..copper colored plagioclase feldspar, the Oregon Sunstone Labradorite. It took hard work just to get the mines established and operational. Add to this the difficulty in creating an economically viable market, and throw in having to deal with the US Bureau of Land Management, it has been an extremely difficult time for all of the Oregon mining community.

I want to introduce everyone to three of these good people who invited us to share a few days with them, dig in their mines, learn about their endeavors, and experience (to a very small degree) what these folks have endured over the past few years. Below left to right are Don Buford of the Dust Devil Mine, Chris Rose of the Spectrum Mine, and John Aldrich of the Double Eagle Mine. These are people. Real people who have worked hard to establish the Oregon Sunstone market. Real people who have been severely damaged by the failure of the colored gemstone industry, primarily the American Gem Trade Association, to act on this diffused andesine situation being perpetrated by its members (Andegem) when, in fact, the AGTA was informed of the problem years ago.


And more important, I want Julie Chen of Andegem, Jerry Sisk of Jewelry Television, Art Garabedian of Direct Shopping Network, and Doug Hucker of the American Gem Trade Association to look closely at the images above. When you all created and/or participated in this andesine fiasco you did not just take the public for a few thousand dollars each, you took away millions of dollars in hard earned and well deserved sales from the people who truly established this market. The real sunstone market, not that diffusion created and misrepresented madness that started with Jacki Li at the Pala International booth at the AGTA show years ago, and furthered by Andegem and the AGTA. The folks in the pictures above are the real deal. The real miners of copper based natural sunstone. And I can personally attest that the Oregon Sunstone Labradorite is all natural because I personally got down with a hammer and chisel and dug it out of the ground.

I am still amazed to see this ridiculous image below presented by the JGGL regarding the claim of an andesine mine in Tibet . Having spent just a few days in the Oregon high desert at around 5,000+ feet I know that water evaporates quickly. In minutes! And yet the image below offered by the JGGL that is supposed to show natural Tibetan sunstone in matrix clearly shows a huge chunk of mud with supposed rough pressed into it, even to the point of a big ol’ thumb print in the mud. Having spent the time now in the desert at 5,000+ feet, I know that at 19,000 feet where this Tibet mine is supposed to exist the water would go even faster. The Chinese must have had to either use a lot of water or else take fast photographs to capture this obviously created muddy presentation that is supposed to look like the real thing. I am astounded that the Chinese would think that this image would come close to passing off as natural to those of us with experience in this industry. Just astounded!

This is exactly the kind of thing we wanted to learn by going to the Oregon desert and living without electricity, without running water, using outhouses, and everything else that we experienced. We wanted to see what copper based plagioclase feldspar really looked like coming out of the ground if we personally were able to go out with a hammer and chisel and dig this material out for ourselves. And we did exactly that.

Fortunately, the Oregon miners have made great advancements in their mining techniques, equipment, and living conditions. So what we endured as difficult for us city folks was simply a day in the life for the miners. But make no mistake…..it is a tough way to make a living…made tougher by this Chinese andesine scam that bled off millions of dollars in sales that should have rightfully gone to the Oregon miners rather than into the pockets of Andegem and others.

As we prepare our slide video presentation we will go into more detail about the wonderful people we met in the Oregon high desert. But going into the US Independence Day Holiday, I wanted to post this up on behalf of all of the Oregon Sunstone Labradorite miners. All of them and they are many.

It is our hope that this marks the beginning of a special Independence Day for the miners located across the Oregon high desert outside of Plush. Independence Day from this andesine fraud. Independence Day from the AGTA and a colored gemstone industry that turned their back on the plight of the Oregon miners. And Independence Day for a future where truth, honor and integrity will rule the colored gemstone industry more than subterfuge and deception that steals away the profits from those to which they rightfully belong.


Happy Independence Day to each and every one of you out there in the Oregon high desert. If anyone in this industry deserves an Independence Day…it is all of you wonderful Oregon Sunstone miners.

Vaya con Dios mi Oregon amigos y amigas!

Stay with us as we present the full report next week……

Robert James FGA, GG
President, International School of Gemology



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©2009 International School of Gemology . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

All images are taken using the ISG Student Reference Collection of gemstones in the ISG office. We do urge and support sharing of this information in its entirety, with copyright notices intact, to others who are interested in the study of gemology. Jeweler’s Associations are welcome to distribute to your members.



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[bonkycat]

To the Oregon miners for their passion and perseverance




When the frost is gone in May until first snow in November they work harder than any other group I know to bring us the most beautiful ALL NATURAL ALL AMERICAN gemstones.


And they still manage to be the kindest most hospitable people I have ever met.

Shame on those who participated or turned a blind eye to the andesine fraud.

[Morning Dove]

OMGosh, Bonky , where on earth did you find the guillotine???

[bonkycat]

I did a google search for free smiley's, clicked the first non-sponsored link and looked under the "angry" category!