Piedras de la Luna
Stones of the Moon
The name moonstone was coined by the
ancient Greeks to describe stones that displayed the moon's ethereal silvery
light. They valued the moonstone as a talisman for lovers. It was said to arouse
the most tender of passions and true love. It was also believed that wearing the
stone conveyed knowledge of future events, and could guide a person in making
important decisions. In India, moonstone is considered to be sacred and magical . It
is thought to be a "Dream Stone", bringing about sweet and beautiful dreams.
Moonstone is the name given to the member of feldspar group that displays a
sheen or inner glow (chatoyancy, adularescence or schiller effect). The name
Moonstone comes from the the fact that the stone appears to contain the moon's
light inside of it. The 2 main categories of moonstones
are the traditional "true moonstone" composed of orthoclase and albite
feldspar and the
"rainbow moonstone" which is, in fact, labradorite feldspar and less valuable
than the orthoclase variety. Rainbow moonstone can range from a blue flame
appearance to a multicolor rainbow effect.
Moonstone body color can range from colorless to white, gray, brown, yellow,
orange, green, or pink. But its beauty is in its sheen, which can be white to
deep blue and create a sweet color that seems to float across the convex
surface of the stone when it is cut en cabochon. This effect is especially
beautiful when the stone is displayed on a dark background such as an evening
dress.
The sheen effect is caused by the intergrowth of two different types of
feldspar with different refractive indexes: These intergrowths result from
compatible chemistries at high temperatures becoming incompatible at lower
temperatures and thus a separating and layering of these two phases when the
stone cools down during its genesis. The resulting shiller effect is caused by
a ray of light entering a layer and being refracted back and forth by deeper
layers before leaving the crystal. This refracted ray has a different
character than the incident one and this produces the moonlike glow.
If feldspar is very common on earth, fine moonstone is quite rare and is
becoming rarer everyday.
Feldspar is the group name applied to several crystalline aluminosilicate
minerals that are found in abundance in the earth's crust in many localities
throughout the world, especially in pegmatites. Mogok is now the typical
origin for the finest moonstones as the traditional mines in Sri Lanka are now
closed.
Finest classical quality is known to show both a fine blue sheen and a
colorless body color but recently an extremely rare and spectacular "Golden
moonstone" from Mogok, Burma (Myanmar) has arrived in the market, and the very
few stones produced are sold at very high prices.
Moonstone was popular with the ancient Romans who thought it was formed out of
moonlight. In India, where it is considered a sacred stone, it is also thought
to be the stone of sensitivity and love and is said to balance yin and yang
and promote greater flexibility and flow with life.
What is it about the elusive light moving through the heart of the
moonstone that captivates us?
The silver-white luster of a summer moon… the soft, mesmerizing sheen… the
subtle and soothing colors…..moonstones are truly nature’s gift to us - meant
to be worn and admired.
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