Dug Green

Here are some more information for Dug Green:

Sunstone is a beautiful, but little known gemstone. As a mineral, it is a variety of Labradorite feldspar that comes in a variety of forms. The most common generally shows an opaque "schiller" effect where the metallic inclusions reflect light in a shimmering blaze of color. However, it can also come in clear stones that are suitable for faceting. These facetable forms are usually pale yellow, but in Oregon they are also found in beautiful shades of Red, orange and green. The crystals are formed in slow cooling basaltic lava flows, much like Peridot. This gem is actually closely related to moonstone.

Sunstone is the State Gem of Oregon, which is the prime source for this beautiful Gem. Large quantities of gem-quality labradorite, most of it water-clear, straw yellow, have been produced from deposits in southeastern Oregon for many years. In the shiller type of of this gem, the labradorite contains millions of copper colored platelets that reflects the light with varying intensities resulting in a golden-red play of color. The "Schiller" phenomenon makes the stone appear to "glow" as if it had it's own internal light source. Gems with Schiller retain this unique "glow" even when viewed from a great distance and by evening lights. In fact, the presence of these bright inclusions was the reason for naming it Sunstone or Heliolite, from the Greek helios for sun and lithos for stone. Although the most common color is straw-yellow, it also can be pink, peach, red, salmon red-orange, red-green, and blue-green. It also can be bicolored and tricolored in combinations of yellow, red, and green, and a small percentage is di- and tri-chroic. The Oregon Red Sunstone differs from other versions of this gem found in various worldwide locales in color, as it can show a strong pleochroism with multiple colors in a single stone. Unlike many gemstones on the market, this is not treated or altered to improve its appearance. Some geologists who have studied this gemstone believe the color is caused by the element copper.

This rare and unusual American Gem is distinguished from other Feldspars by its unique chemical and physical properties. It is a bright gem, with or without the Schiller effect, that creates outstanding jewelry. Depth of color and degree of clarity determines the carat price. Those are which are the Reddest and have fewer inclusions command the highest Carat price.

The best known gem location in Oregon is found near the tiny town of Plush, in the south central part of the state, not far north of the Nevada border. These deposits are being actively worked by a couple of different companies. The rough stones are mined from the surface and taken from a partially decomposed rock with a pick and shovel, or mechanically with bull dozers and other equipment. Shallow pits are dug to retrieve the rough material which is mixed in with basalt rock. It has to be screened and the gem crystals separated from the rock by sight. Un-weathered deposits release rough only by blasting and tunneling which often shatters the Sunstone rough. Because of cold weather and the remote location of the site, the mining season averages approximately six months.

At the deposits near Plush, the government has actually set aside a free area for the public to search for their own gems. The BLM has set aside 4 square miles for rock collectors to hunt for sunstones. No claims can be filed within the BLM designated rockhound area, and there is no charge to prospect. Even though thousands of rockhounds have visited this deposit, there are still stones to be found. The area also produces a valuable adventurecent cabochon material with a bright copper sheen. Other gem mines in the Plush area are also open to the public for a fee.

In 1980, the availability and quality of sunstone, other than the standard yellow variety, drastically increased with the discovery of another deposit that was to become known as the Ponderosa Mine near Burns. The vivid-red faceted stones and velvety-red cabochons from this mine set a new world standard for beauty, in red sunstone. The opening of the mine also increased the supply of stones in peach, salmon red-orange, red-green, green, blue-green, and bi colored and tricolored in combinations of yellow, red, and green. It seems that because of these multiple sources, that for the first time ever, there was a continuous U.S. supply of the more desirable colors in most of the calibrated sizes up to several carats needed by the jewelry industry. The supply from these two USA deposits should continue to be adequate for many years into the future.

Some other sunstone gems are also found in India and Tanzania. The gems from India show a coarser sparkle in the shiller that is present in the stones when compared to the stones mined in Oregon. It is said that the source of the shiller in the Indian stones are included crystals of Hematite.

The most important factor in determining the value of a transparent sunstone is its color. The finest stones possess deep red tones with no contained it or other inclusions to dull or reduce the sparkle. Larger deep red stones are uncommon and may command a significant price. In fact the largest known clean, faceted high-quality red sunstone is only a little over 10 carats. Cabochons of fine shiller stones are also highly valued, though they are priced less than the transparent red stones. These stones are also available in larger sizes.

For more details and information, the author has web pages on the Oregon Sunstone can be viewed at: http://nevada-outback-gems.com/Encyclopedia_pages/Sunstone.htm

The Authors Information about visiting the Oregon sunstone area and collecting your own gems can be seen at: http://nevada-outback-gems.com/Rockhound/Oregon_sunstone.htm

The authors has considerable information on gemstones, their origins and characteristics, as well as helpful information on purchasing gems and gemstones at his website. His gemstone information Encyclopedia page can be seen at http://nevada-outback-gems.com/Encyclopedia_pages/Gemstone_Encyclopedia.htm

Investing the Green Way

So you’re green?  You live in one of those houses that is dug out of the side of a hill with solar panels everywhere.  You ride a bike in the summer and drive an electric car in the winter.  You grow your own food, pump your own water, and not one drop of oil will ever be in your home.

While you may not be that green, maybe you believe strongly in reducing your carbon footprint or think that green is going to make you some major green.  How do you invest in green?  What is out there for your money?

There aren’t any green bank accounts but there are green mutual funds and stocks*.  First, let’s look at mutual funds:

1.)    Winslow Green Growth Fund (WGGFX)-  All green.  Companies like Chipotle, Green Mountain Coffee Rosters, and First Solar.  (First Solar is one of the most successful solar companys out there right now.)  Although the management fees are high, this mutual fund has a great track record of success.

2.)    New Alternatives Fund (NALFX)- Almost all green.  This fund also has a very good track record and great management.  Companies like Whole Foods and Owens Corning are in this fund.  This is not a “pure play” fund but still quite green.  (A “pure play” would be any company who has no involvement in anything that isn’t green.)

How about if you are a stock person?  Keep in mind that to find pure plays that are green, you have to go mostly small cap.  (A small company)  Right now, small cap stocks are extremely risky so only invest a small amount of your money (around 10%) in these small cap stocks.

1.)    General Electric (GE)- Not very green.  GE is involved in a lot of industries but they are also one of the largest manufacturers in the Wind Turbine industry.  In fact, Boone Pickens has placed an order for 667 wind turbines for his “Pickens Plan”  Not very green but a good company to anchor your portfolio for the long term.

2.)    Clean Energy Fuels (CLNE)-  Almost all green.  This company builds natural gas fueling stations and provides natural gas to cities and individuals on the west coast.  Although depressed in value right now, this will be a leader if natural gas vehicles become more commonplace.  That’s the bet, though and why stocks like this are so risky.

3.)    Quanta Services (PWR)-  About 50% green.  So, you are Boone Pickens and you have 667 wind turbines in the middle of the United States and you are making bookoo amounts of power.  How are you going to get all of your power to the homes and city power grids?  You call Quanta Services.

4.)    First Trust Global Wind Energy (FAN)- Mostly green.  This is not a stock.  It is traded as a stock and the value changes like a stock but it’s actually a collection of stocks all put together called an ETF.  The fund invests in wind energy companies all over the world.  This is a very risky investment but if you’re in it for the long term, you will make some money.

These are only a couple of the many green companies and funds out there.  Beware! Alternative energy is not currently not popular because the price of oil is so low.  Most of these companies are very low in value.  That may be a buying opportunity but they may have lower yet to go.  Be careful.

So your green and need to invest now?  My suggestion is to look in to a mutual fund or two.  Stocks may be too risky right now but President Obama has been public in his support for alternative energy so many investors are beginning to give green another look.  So get to work, start researching and if you aren’t sure, leave a comment.  We’ll help you!

* Please do not take these as recommendations to buy.  These are names to research or ask your financial advisor about.

About the Author

Tim is the author of the blog, elementary-finance.com. The goal of this blog is to educate those who have a desire to learn the basics of finance.

How Good Is My Pokemon Leaf Green Lineup So Far In My Game?

I'm just about to enter Rock Tunnel and I am on my way to Lavender Town. Okay here is my team.

Your team looks almost identical to mine. =) Make sure you grab a Voltorb outside Rock Tunnel so you can have someone with Flash (don't put it on any of your battle team).

ALSO, try to get a Water or Grass-type if possible, because there are Ground types in that cave which you may have problems with. I used a Gyarados, personally (even though I ditched it later). Instead of Butterfree, I recommend using a Mankey or Machop-- they are nowhere near as fragile and can deal out much more damage (generic powerhouses). My Mankey (later Primeape) stayed with me throughout the entire game and was used on the Elite Four.

When you can, delete all HM moves other than Surf or Fly from your team. Seriously. And get rid of Fury Swipes on Diglett ASAP. It's a crap move.

Make sure you've got lots of Repels and maybe a couple Escape Ropes, because Rock Tunnel is quite a long hard slog and you may run out of PP. Make sure your team levels are roughly even, you don't have to have everyone around the level of your Charmeleon but I recommend all at least Lv 27 or so.

Forget $1 million, most comic books from past two decades have little value
Action Comics No. 1, first with Superman, which sold for $1 million, is "holy grail."

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