A Collection of Finely Crafted
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Celebrating our 28th year.

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 Moonstones Gallery   Since 1981
 

                                 

    
        

 

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Moonstones
 

MOONSTONE

MO2320



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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      Moonstones Gallery
         4070 Burton Drive
          Cambria, California 93428
            1-800-424-3827
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Art_of_America@moonstones.com

           
 

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