No gem has given me as much trouble as the Tibetan Sunstone.  Does it even exist?  I hear varying reports–that it comes from a mine in a remote part of Tibet.  That there might be mines in Xingjian or Yunnan as well.  Maybe Mongolia.

Then I read posts by people in Oregon who say they send their Oregon Sunstone to China to be cut but when they get it back, they get significantly less.  Then a rush of Tibetan Sunstone shows up on the market.   Is it true?

What is it about the Tibetan Sunstone?  This mystery stone.  Like Tibet itself, it seems to be part myth, part possibility.

This summer I plan to hit the road in northern China with photos and words in Chinese.  Maybe I’ll find something.  But I’m beginning to wonder if it’s even real.