Everything you need to know about Moonstone Gemstone

Moonstone is a type of emerald that can range in colour from blue to white. The Moonstone is famous for its adularescence and cloudy moonlight lustre. Moreover, this alternative June birthstone is a popular selection for jewellery despite its fragility.

 

Moonstone is orthoclase, a member of the feldspar family of minerals. In the process of crystallisation, orthoclase and albite alternately form layers. Adularescence is the result of light scattering off of these skinny layers. 

A moonstone gem's apparent adularescence is its light rippling outwards in all directions. However, in addition to labradorite and sanidine, several feldspar minerals can exhibit adularescence.

Description

Like its evocative namesake, the Moon, Moonstones have spawned much love-themed folklore. Moonstones have been a symbol of the Moon, fertility, love, and protection throughout history.

For generations, jewellery enthusiasts and aristocrats have highly prized these stones. They are currently more popular in Germany and the Scandinavian countries than pearls and alexandrites, which are traditionally associated with June as birthstones.

It will be more valuable if a moonstone has a translucent, colourless body and a robust blue adularescence. Translucent cabochons, whether white or featuring a pleasant body colour and adularescence, are widely available and may be purchased for a low price.

Moonstone, a member of the feldspar family, is possibly the most well-known gem-quality feldspar because of its timeless beauty and widespread use. Feldspars are among the most abundant and structurally diverse minerals in the crust of the Earth. You can pick up a rock from any part of the planet and locate at least one member of the feldspar group in it.

 

The mineral orthoclase, which Moonstone is a form, is classified with the feldspars. It consists of two different feldspars, orthoclase, and albite. The first phase is a combination of the two minerals. The freshly produced mineral then cools, causing the intergrown orthoclase and albite to split into stacked, alternating layers.

Adularescence can also occur in other feldspar minerals. One of them is the labradorite feldspar, primarily mined in the Canadian province. In contrast, the labradorite from Madagascar displays a rainbow of adularescence on a white background. 

Sanidine, another type of feldspar, can form adularescent jewels known as moonstones. However, to be called a moonstone, a material needs to have a certain amount of adularescence, which is more important than its actual composition.

Facts

Absorption Spectrum	Mineral	Birefringence
Not diagnostic	Feldspar	0.005–0.006
Luminescence Type	Cleavage	Phenomena
Fluorescent, UV-Long, UV-Short, X-ray Colors	Perfect and accessible in two directions	Adularescence, chatoyancy, asterism (rare).
Colours	Enhancements	Etymology
Body colours range from colourless through shades of yellow, grey, green, pink, reddish, orange, and brown.	Dark coating on the back enhances adularescence; uncommon; easily scratched; detected with magnification.	After the lustrous, “moonlight” sheen of the adularescent effect found in these stones.
Birthstone	Lustre	Occurrence
June	Vitreous	Gravels, pegmatites
Optic Sign	Crystallography	Optics
Biaxial -	Monoclinic	Biaxial (-)
Pleochroism	Formula	Fracture
Usually none	KAlSi3O8	Uneven, conchoidal
Refractive Index	Inclusions	Luminescence
1.518-1.525. Typically 1.520-1.525. Virginia material has RI 1.518-1.524.	“Centipedes,” pairs of stress cracks, are diagnostic.	LW inert or blue. SW orange. May fluoresce weak pink to moderate red, LW, and SW. White to violet in X-rays.
Specific Gravity	Hardness	Transparency
2.56-2.59	6-6.5	Transparent to opaque
Heat Sensitivity	Typical Treatments	Variety of
No	Surface Coating	Orthoclase
Wearability	Luminescence Present
Poor	Yes

 

History

Moonstone, in Hindu belief, is formed from crystallised moonlight. So it's not hard to see why this gem has come to symbolise the Moon in several other cultures. Due to its internal structure, it exhibits adularescence, a light scattering phenomenon. The effect is akin to when the Moon is full and light filters down from above through a layer of thin, lofty clouds.

Moreover, Moonstones, according to myth, are lucky amulets. Holding a moonstone in your mouth under a full moon was formerly thought to be a foolproof way to predict the future.

The ancient Romans referred to adularescent Moonstone as "adularia." In the past, one of the best places to find high-quality moonstones was in the Swiss city of Mt. Adular (now known as St. Gotthard).

 

In the past, Myanmar was the primary source of the world's most coveted colourless, transparent moonstones with a vibrant blue sheen. Unfortunately, there has been a depletion of this resource. The majority of the best blue sheen diamonds on the market today are traded from one dealer or collector to another, driving up their prices each time.

René Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany, two of the greatest jewellers of the romantic Art Nouveau era, created unique pieces with the pale gem. Moonstone was also a popular choice for Arts and Crafts period silverwork in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

Moonstone gems gave its users the ideal ethereal aspect during the 1960s "flower child" trend, and its natural beauty again inspired designers throughout the 1990s New Age movement.

Stone Size

Large, high-quality moonstones are exceedingly uncommon, but inexpensive, high-quality Indian material with a vivid body colour is readily available. Fortunately, the material is typically cleanly produced and aesthetically pleasing. Blue-tinged Moonstone is the most sought-after variety. However, stones more significant than 15-20 carats are scarce. But hundreds of carat stones with a silvery or white adularescence are readily available.

 

Stone Care

Moonstones used in jewellery are extremely common despite their softness and vulnerability to chipping and cleaving. However, a protective setting is necessary, especially for rings, to prevent scratching.

 

However, you should wear moonstones in a setting that will keep them secure, but brooches and pendants are the best options for this. Do not use ultrasonic or steam cleaning machines. Cleaning with anything harsher than warm soapy water and a delicate brush is not recommended.

FAQs

1. What is a moonstone good for?

Moonstone is a stone of emotional awareness since it stimulates the feminine energy of creativity and intuition. It can help you relax and regain emotional equilibrium. The soothing nature of Moonstone is conducive to new ideas, healing, and maternal protection.

2. Is Moonstone a real gem?

A member of the orthoclase feldspar family, including Labradorite, Sunstone, Rainbow Moonstone, and Amazonite, Moonstone is a genuine gemstone. The two minerals, orthoclase, and albite form moonstones and develop in stacked layers inside the stone.

3. How much is a moonstone worth?

For a moonstone, you can get between AU$7 and AU$71 per carat. It can be lower than this, but there is room for confusion at the lower end because the border between low-quality material and gemstones is fuzzy.

4. Which Moonstone is best?

The most delicate Moonstone is a transparent blue diamond that sparkles like electric light. The perfect body colour is essentially colourless without distracting yellow, brown, or green undertones. Moreover, in an ideal world, adularescence would be blue.