Oregon Only Stones is a truly unique experience. This may be one of the only shops that does not sell stones we do not harvest from Oregon ourselves. You will not find other ranches stones here, nor are we a ranch just using a bulldozer.
We personally climb and crawl over every inch of Oregon that is legal to be on in search for the finest stones. Digging, picking, smashing and swimming for each stone we find. Sometimes finding ourselves in extreme situations and environments to assure we bring back the best stones.
From the painted hills of grant county to the creeks of the Santiam mountains, from the rivers of Grants Pass to the ocean beaches of Newport we try to take pictures of the stones, the scene and bring the vibes of the adventure through video. Blended with an acoustic touch the experiences are shared to give a feel and understanding of each stone, the options of Oregon Stones and the depth of the colors from its natural environment!
Oregon Only Stones prides itself on how it forms and crafts the stones it sells. There are few if any people out there not using solvents, paints or polishing compounds to polish and set their stones. Not that there is anything wrong with using polishing compounds, we just try to keep the stone as pure as we can to assure that the stone can be truly appreciated as it is. With nothing taking or changing the natural beauty and creation it is!
With a world capable of dying, creating artificial and identical from all materials (beads and glass and natural rocks), it seems hard to know you are getting a real stone from the earth! We personally go out and pick the stone from the earth, clean it with the same soap you clean yourself with (We use all natural sea salt soap's and borax). Being aggressive with a soft copper brush we remove all the particulates.
After being cleaned we send the stones off to the cutting block.
Using a basic tile saw and table saw we hand cut the stones to revile its finest angles and colors. From there we take the stones to a facing machine. Running them on low we trim each stone to its final shape. No Sticks or wax, all by hand.
Once they are cut we take them through a series of diamond bit stages on a honing block. This cuts the facing scratches and exposes the wonderful shape and colors. From here this is where Oregon Only Stones jewelry is different from all other lapidary shops... We ONLY use hand polishing, under water and always by hand.
Why? All cabbing stations, faceting machines and tools to slab cut hard, hot and usually large cuts. This can create fractures, burns, discoloration and sometimes just eat up the material you wanted. People must use oils, waxes, tars and solvents to prevent the heat and the vibration from causing damage. When you use a rock blanket, by hand and under water you will never risk the rock being damaged, colors fading or needing to use a sealant or wax to truly bring it out!
So for the final stages we switch to a lighter sandpaper for the polish. Keeping it very cold and very wet the entire time to assure there are no imperfections from heat by friction. We dry them off. Assure they have no sanding scratches and have been sanded so fine there is nothing but gloss.
They are as pure as they can be and they are as bright as they can be! We find this technique to be the most rewarding and this is why we choose it!
I like to offer those who purchase my stones the fullest experience. Not everyone is able to crawl up the mountains or cross rivers to get to these stones however would love to be able to. I bring the experience of this with each stone that is custom ordered!
When you request a specific type of stone, for example a fine jasper or opal, you will get a full video of the stone being harvested from the source of the mountain or river. Brought back, cleaned by hand with water and a brush and cut and polished by hand. Or did you see a stone in one of the videos and would like to have some jewelry made out of it? Send us a picture of the stone you saw and we will look to find it and cut you a piece off and craft it into fine jewelry!
