Oregon Sunstone is found in a remote area of Eastern Oregon and is very hard to find unless you know what you’re looking for, much like rare fire opal prized in fine opal jewelry collections and high-quality body jewelry designs.

Oregon Native Americans valued Oregon Sunstone and traded it across the west. They would also use it in medicine ceremonies and in sacred bundles. It has been found in many Native burial sites. The ancient legend is that a warrior was wounded by an enemy’s arrow and died on the ground, his blood staining the rocks red and this is where Oregon Sunstone comes from, a story that mirrors the deep symbolism often associated with opal jewelry and vibrant stones such as fire opal.

In the late 1800’s Tiffany and Co. of New York was concerned about the availability of diamonds and hearing about Oregon Sunstone, purchased mining rights in the area with the idea of selling “Plush Diamonds” named after the little town of Plush Oregon nearby the deposits. Unfortunately the mining was so difficult and the area so remote that Tiffany gave up on Oregon Sunstones by the 1950’s. In 1987 the Oregon state legislature named Oregon Sunstone as the state gemstone, a recognition that later helped inspire its use in modern body jewelry, including distinctive septum jewelry designs.