Moonstone - the milky white gem - is so named for its semblance to the color of the moon. It is considered to be the most valuable variety of feldspar with unique rainbow sheen on it. Hence, it is also known as Rainbow Moonstone. Moonstones have a silvery or bluish iridescence, caused by the intergrowth of two different types of feldspar with different refractive indexes. While white is the most popular variety of Moonstone, it can also be found in other hues like grey, brown, blue, yellow, orange, green and pink. However, blue colored Moonstones are considered to be the most highly priced. Moonstones are commonly found in Brazil, European Alps, India, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and USA (Pennsylvania and Virginia). The ones found in Sri Lanka have the best quality.
Moonstones were very popular with the Romans, who thought it was formed out of moonlight. Thus, it always had a romantic aura to it. It is favored for love and togetherness. In the modern age, Moonstones work as a beautiful highlight in jewelry designing – in the form of rings, bracelets, necklaces, etc. Associated with the 13th wedding anniversary, it is an ideal gift for your beloved. However, special care should be taken to maintain and preserve them. This translucent semi-precious gem ranks 6 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness and hence, can be scratched or chipped easily. Therefore, it is advisable not to keep two stones together. Take special care to avoid bringing them in contact with abrasive cleaners or acid. Always use a gentle, non-acid based jewelry cleaner or a mild solution of several drops of dish detergent and water to clean them.
As a gem, Moonstone is a storehouse of immense potential. It is believed to be a stone of wishes, intuition and balance. It helps to master your emotions by not suppressing them, but by bringing them under the control of your will. It fosters happiness, gracefulness, good fortune, hope, spiritual insight and wisdom. As a representative of Mother Goddess, whose strength lies in her gentleness, Moonstones influence you to be gentle and caring. It also helps in childbirth, enhances fertility and growth and regulates menstrual cycle. As a protective stone, it is also believed to protect travelers, especially who travel at night and on water. It also aids in the assimilation of nutrients, eliminates toxins and assists the body in releasing excess water. It can regenerate tissues and organs and heal the reproductive system.
Moonstone is the most magical looking gemstone. Its changing colors and the moonshine glow that shimmers across its surface, give it a unique and mystic feel, tough to be competed by any other stone of the same group. A gem of the lovers and psychics, a guard for sailors and voyagers, a representative of the Victorian jewelry – Moonstone is in one word, a
multi-gem.