Page 8 • DEPOE BAY BEACON • May 13, 2005
By RICK BEASLEYOf The Beacon
DEPOE BAY — A lucra-tive gravel mining operationthat looks like scenes fromthe hit HBO TV showDeadwood has struck paydirt for the Woodmark fam-ily and their partners!
John and his wife TalleyWoodmark are longtime busi-ness operators and downtownproperty developers. Their far-flung enterprises include theBlue Heron and Silver Herongalleries in Depoe Bay,Superfast Cash in LincolnCity, a jewelry store inPortland, a pizza parlor inBandon and a winery inCalifornia.
Two years ago John part-nered with Talley, big-gamehunting partner Bruce Mooreand a handful of otherinvestors to form Desert SunMining & Gems. The compa-ny’s purpose was to acquireand exploit a SoutheasternOregon mining claim deep inthe Ochoco Natl. Forestknown as The PonderosaMine, the world’s largest pro-ducer of the premier gem-quality labradorite.
Oregonians may recognizethe multi-colored gem asOregon Sunstone, the state’sofficial gemstone since 1987.Formed and crystallized inancient volcanic flows,Oregon Sunstone is uniqueamong gem feldspars due tothe “Schiller Phenomenon”caused by millions of micro-scopic copper platelets foundin each stone.
“The Schiller makes thestone appear to glow with itsown internal light source,”said Talley, the mining compa-ny’s vice-president of market-ing. “Oregon Sunstones retainthis glow when viewed from agreat distance or even bystarlight.”
Sunstones are encounteredin India, Russia, Finland andNorway, but only in Oregon isthe stone found of gemstonequality. Native Americans
used the transparent, glitteringgems as trading stones and toenhance their medicinewheels, sacred bundles andburial sites. In 1992, majorjewelers H. Stern and Tiffany& Co. added the Oregon gemto their lines, calling itAmerican Sunstone. Now,John and his partners are dig-ging the stone from the earthand cutting it for sale to thedomestic and internationaljewelry markets.
“We’re getting ready to gomining again,” said John, whooperates the claim out of aGold Rush-style camp withcanvas tents and Dutch ovens.“We have 20 retail outlets nowincluding casinos, and 5,000strands of beads. We’re sellingwholesale, retail and in bulk.At our Portland store we havehired a fulltime jeweler tomount stones and producecustom mounts. The marketfor Oregon Sunstone isexploding.”
Open mining in the lavaflows is hard work, but John,his sons Clay and Wade,Talley, Burce and companytoil with grins on their faces.The muted grinding of theirshovels and the swish of grav-el hitting the sorting screens ispunctuated by the victoriousyell announcing another richdiscovery. It is exciting, invig-orating work in beautifulcountry, John said.
Aside from its stunningbeauty, market forces are driv-ing the popularity and price ofOregon Sunstone and othergemstones. Many custom jew-elers favor colored stonesbecause the margins in dia-monds are so thin. Butreserves of many popularstones are diminishing.
“Tanzanite will be com-pletely depleted by the year2020,” said John. “The RedBarrel of Colorado is closedout. Emeralds, sapphires andrubies are the same way — theancient mines are beingdepleted. All colored stoneshave a finite supply.”
The Ponderosa deposit wasdiscovered in the summer of1980 when a logging opera-tion cut roads through the areaand cowboys running rangecattle discovered clear crystalson the surface. Gem brokersLarry Gray and ChrisJohnston first worked theclaim, the third known depositof Sunstone in Oregon. Asmining activities continued itbecame obvious that thePonderosa produced thewidest range of colors inlabradorite feldspar ever dis-covered. Oregon Sunstonecomes in all shades of the rain-bow except blue, although col-ors of red and green are themost sought after and com-mand the highest prices.
“At its best, the red facet-grade material from thePonderosa Mine is as fine acolor as the finest ruby or redspinel from Burma,” wroteauthor Chris Johnston in aleading gem industry periodi-cal. “The blue greens are likeemeralds, the gray greens likegreen diamonds, and thepeaches and orange roses can
double for imperial topaz.”In 1985, miners unearthed a
faceted deep red stone weigh-ing 10.78 carats. It was named
WOODMARKS AND PARTNERSCORNER SUNSTONE MARKET!
PARTNERS and family provide most of the elbow grease at The Ponderosa Mine, locateddeep in the Ochoco Natl. forest 40 miles from the nearest town. The open mining is done byhand, shovel and pic axe. Gravel is then siften through mesh screens. Oregon is the onlyplace in the world that produces gem-quality sunstones, and The Ponderosa sits atop thelargest known vein of Oregon Sunstone in the world.
OREGON SUNSTONES are brisk sellers at the BlueHeron Gallery in Depoe Bay. Above, gift store owner andmining magnate John Wookmark displays ome dazzlingstones that will be set into custom-made jewelry.
the Ponderosa Queen andcaused such a sensation thatthe Oregon legislature adoptedthe rare labradorite as the offi-cial state gemstone.
In Sept., 1998 JanusInternational announced itsintention to buy the mine for$8.5 million. Based on geo-logical surveys, the companyestimated the claim wouldproduce $100 million worth ofSunstone gems. But the dealfell through, and the untimelydeath of Larry Gray soonthereafter brought operationsto a standstill.
A former accountant andIRS auditor who bought theDepoe Bay Aquarium in 1978,John is an astute entrepreneurwith a knack for identifyingand developing businessopportunities. Attuned to thegem markets through hisgallery, John and his partnersbought five Sunstone miningclaims near Plush, Ore., aplace too small for a map.
“Word got out that we wereinterested in Oregon Sunstoneand we were contacted byKaren Gray, Larry Gray’swidow,” John told the Beacon.“We went over and met her,inspected the mine andlearned that she was veryinterested in either selling out-right or teaming-up withsomebody who could market
the Oregon Sunstone. Sherealized it takes a lot ofmoney. A lot have tried andnot many have been very suc-cessful.”
Locally, Oregon Sunstonescan be found at the BlueHeron in Depoe Bay.Scribbles, a gift and card storeat the upscale Salishan Mall,features Lori Green Originalswith Ponderosa Mine sun-stones.
Woodmoore & GrayJewelers, 609 S.W.Washington in Portland, is awholly owned subsidiary ofDesert Sun Mining managedby retail V.P. Burce Moore.Burce explained how pricesare set:
“Prices are determined bythe three C’s — cut, clarity
and carat size. Prices rangefrom $20 to $2,500 per caratfor loose stones. Prices for fin-ished jewelery dpends on thequality of the stone and thesetting. The best designers inthe country are using our sun-stone to produce jewelry sell-ing in the tens of thousands ofdollars per piece. PaulaCrevoshay, who has designedpieces for the Queen ofEngland, Carly Simon, Oprah,and Elton John, is one of ourpremier designers. Her piecesbegin at $3,500 and exceed$200,00.
The Portland Oregoniannewspaper dispatched areporter to the swandkPortland store for a full pagestory with dazzling color pho-tos o Oregon Sunstones. The
article flooded the store withnew-found sunstone fans.
“Oregon Sunstone is an all-natural gemstone,”said Talley.“Desert Sun Mining & Gemdoes not enhance its gem-
stones in any way with chemi-cals, irrigation, heat or oiling.Created by nature — pure,radiant, and simply beautiful.Oregonians should be veryproud of their state gem.”
Page 9 • DEPOE BAY BEACON • May 13, 2005
SOME OF THE LARGER stones, left, found at ThePonderosa will be shipped to the international jewelry mar-ket, where they are cut in China and sold for up to $2,500per carat. A nice discovery, above, catches the eye of JohnWoddmark and his son, Clay.
