Moonstone Gemstone

Facts About Moonstone

• The moonstone is the gemstone for the 3rd wedding.
• In ancient times, the moonstone was used to evoke deep passion between lovers.
• Ancient astrologers considered that this stone can predict the future.
• The ancient Romans and Greeks considered that moonstone was originated from bits of the actual moon.
• Ayurvedic medicine and various other crystal healing methods use moonstone for healing and treatment.
• Moonstone is believed to be feminine in nature, as it is associated with the lunar cycle controlling a woman's cycle.
• Moonstone is considered to promote calmness, confidence and encourage peace, harmony and balance.
• Many people believe that moonstone and pearls are related and have identical gemstones, but it's not true. They have different mineral composition and pearls come from oysters and mussels.
• The leaders of the Art Nouveau movement brought increased interest in natural and mystical stones like moonstone.

Properties of Moonstone

The moonstone’s shifting fluorescence and mesmerising blue-white colour radiance have linked with the mystical properties of the moon. Moonstone is a form of mineral that is a part of orthoclase feldspar group and is formed by potassium aluminium silicate. This stone is distinct from other similar stones due to the presence of adularescence. Moonstone illuminates extraordinary optical phenomenon that occurs due to its special layered microstructure. The light diffraction that occurs within the layers of its microstructure creates a mystical effect, moving blue sheen. Apart from adularescence, Moonstone also displays cat’s-eye effect.

• Colour: Due to the adularescence effect, the body colour of moonstone can differ ranging from transparent to blue and green. This gemstone is found in blue, grey, green, orange, pink, white, and brown colours. Most popular type of moonstones are almost colourless combined with a blue adularescence. But these days, the variety of available colours has risen due to the increasing choice of buyers.

  Blue Moonstone Blue Moonstone displays a floating blue colour on its surface that is transparent and crystal clear. The largest and best blue moonstones usually come from Myanmar.

  Rainbow Moonstone Rainbow moonstone displays a milky patchy appearance which comes from the white orthoclase inclusions and layers. The reflection from the layers and inclusions generates a rainbow effect when the stone attracts light. It features a rainbow-like iridescence and can be cut into a faceted gemstone as well as a cabochon.

  Orange Moonstone This variety of moonstone is a rare variety of moonstone and can be only found in Sri Lanka. This stone typically features white adularescence and displays a peachy body colour.

  Pink Moonstone Pink moonstones range from honey to beige to peach colours. It can be translucent to opaque. The stone has a white sheen that is often used in rows of coloured beads.

  Green Moonstone Green moonstone is not as popular as a rainbow or blue moonstone. This stone doesn't display any show of colour or fluorescence. It has a little hazy or clear appearance and a pale green-yellow colour.

  Titanium Moonstone This rare kind of moonstone possesses a silver or metallic colour show. This kind of moonstone is only found in Sri Lanka and available in very less quantity.

• Cut: Moonstones are usually cut into beads, cabochons or in faceted form. Mostly, the best cut for moonstone is cabochons which displays the natural phenomena of adularescence. Although, faceted moonstones are getting more popular due to its capacity of hiding inclusions inside the stone. Rose cut is the one of the most popular cuts as it illuminates the colour and texture of the stone, emphasising its depth and angles.
• Clarity: Moonstone is sometimes colourless, sometimes translucent, and sometimes perfectly transparent. Due to its feldspar property, it reflects a bluish, milky light, that has been compared to the light of the moon.
• Carat: You can find moonstones of both large and small sizes. For jewellery designs, moonstones of 1 to 5 carats are mostly preferred due to their easy availability. Clear and large-sized stones of about 15 to 20 carats are very rare to be found and they are of high value.