Moonstone shows an almost magical play of light as its trait feature. It owes its name to this strange glossy which appears dissimilar whenever the stone changes its position in movement. Experts call this the “adularescence”, and in earlier times the phases of waxing and waning moon were though to be discerned in this phenomenon.

Moonstone from Sri Lanka, the classical country of origin for Moonstone, shimmers pale blue on almost see-through ground. Specimen from India shoe cloudlike plays of light and shade on beige brown, green, orange or simple brown background. These passive colours in amalgamation with the fine shine make Moonstone an ideal gemstone for jewellery with a sumptuous and feminine character. This gemstone was once before extremely popular, about a hundred years ago in the times of Art Nouveau. It used to decorate a striking amount of pieces of jewellery created by the famous French Master Goldsmith René Lalique and by his contemporaries. These pieces are usually only found in a museum or in collections these days.

Many mystical and magical connotations surround this stone. In several cultures, like for example in India, it is considered a sacred and magical gemstone. In India Moonstone is also acceptable as a “dream stone”, as it is supposed to bring about pleasant and beautiful dreams. In Arab countries women often were Moonstone sewn into their garment, because there this gemstone is appreciated as a symbol of productiveness.

Moonstone symbolises a holistic view of man and woman. Its soft shine will support the emotional and dreamy tendencies of a person. The relations thus involved make Moonstone of course the ideal stone for lovers, reputed to bring forth feelings of affection and to protect true love. It is also reported that wearing a Moonstone will further instinct and your compassion for others.

What are Moonstones and where do they come from?

The mystical stone belongs to the large mineral family of feldspars, which give almost two thirds of all stones on our Earth. In the case of Moonstone, we are looking at the feldspar diversity called “adularia” a silicate of potassium aluminium in gemstone quality, which is also found in the European Alps near the Adula-group – thus the name “adularia”. Another synonym for Moonstone is “Selenite”, according to the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene.

When uncut, Moonstones looks quite uninteresting and make it difficult to distinguish their attractiveness: the mysterious play of light. It will only be brought out by the cutter’s expertise and skills. Classical Moonstones are always cut as cabochons. Here the appropriate height of the stone is vital. The cutter must also bear in mind to locate the crystal axis exactly in the zenith of the stone, because only then the required effect of light play will be achieved.

The classical, bluish and almost translucent Moonstones conventionally came from Sri Lanka. But they are also found in the USA, in Brasil, Australia, Myanmar, and Madagascar. Since blue Moonstones in fine virtues have become more and more scarce in recent time, the prices have increased consequently.

For some years now also green, blue and peach or smoke and champagne coloured, black and reddish example have been obtainable, which come mainly from India. Some of these show not only the characteristic the typical floating play of light, but also a cat’s eye or a multi-rayed star. These stones, then, are not only cut as cabochons, but also cut as complicated cameos, sometimes engraved as children’s -, moon - or gargoyle face. They also show the play of light which is so characteristic for Moonstone, just like the spheres and beads made from appropriate raw material to be crafted into fine necklaces.

Where does the striking play of light come from?

The light of a Moonstone is something special indeed in the charming world of gemstones. Experts call this phenomenon “adularescence”. The origin of this phenomenon is the interior structure of the gemstone in scales or lamellas. Inward rays of light are refracted inside the stone and scattered. In this way, then, there is created a unique play of light, which makes Moonstone so special and coveted.

This beautiful gemstone, however, has a significant drawback: it only achieves a hardness of simply six on the Mohs’ scale. Moonstones should thus be handled carefully, as they are very fragile. On the other hand, small damages which will arise after longer periods of being worn, can be corrected comparatively easily. A jeweller can have a dulled Moonstone polished in such a way, that it will regain its mystical light like on the first day.