Star moonstone: These are the moonstones which feature asterism. A nice Moonstone pebble plucked from a river bed after a few thousand years of weathering by rolling water and rough sand seems more impressive. The glass imitations will look a bit 'too clean' and may have little bubbles inside while real Moonstones will have visible layers or natural inclusions within the gemstone. A moonstone ring on the other hand may scratch or fracture easily, so it is not as suitable for wearing each day. Ultimately you should buy what you really want. For the sake of simplicity as well as completeness, I will be discussing both plagioclase feldspars and orthoclase feldspars in this article, but I will focus mainly on orthoclase moonstones. This stone is classified as a “high-temperature solid solution series.” It can be found in volcanic rocks, and may showcase the same blue sheen as moonstone. Technically, Moonstones can be described as translucent to transparent and the more transparent they are the more valuable they become.

Transparency: The more clarity a piece has, the more it will cost. In Sanskrit, the language of ancient India, it was called Chandrakanta, meaning 'beloved of the moon'. ... Moonstone Gemstones - So magical they seem to glow from within ... Gemstone Meanings - What are their powers and symbolic use? With its connection to feminine power, Moonstone has a notable effect on women's bodies. Moonstone from India – most moonstones are actually not blue at all! All things being equal with the color, clarity and cut then the bigger the better as they say! Moonstones can still be found in their ancient source, Sri Lanka, as well as neighboring India, which is also a major supplier of Rainbow Moonstone. Moonstone may be any of several different members of the feldspar group, most commonly orthoclase, oligoclase, or microcline. Moonstones are rated at 6 – 6.5 on the Mohs Hardness scale meaning it is hard enough for most types of jewelry but a bit of care should be taken with items such as rings or bracelets which are exposed to more knocks and bumps than, say, earrings or pendants. Moonstones are identified by the silky appearance on the surface of the gemstone more than any chemical make-up. If you are looking to add a gemstone to your collection which will definitely turn heads, search no further than moonstone. If you are looking to purchase moonstone, there are several factors you should pay close attention to: Why didn’t I mention cut? A nice introduction to moonstone that shows some great examples of ‘regular’ moonstone and rainbow moonstone. Albite minerals also contain some of the rarest forms of moonstone. Asterism is the appearance of a “star” on the surface of the stone, such as you see with star sapphire. There are seven energy centers throughout the body known as Chakras, which is a Sanskrit word meaning wheel or circle. The more money you save on the stone, the more you can spend on the band or on the wedding itself. A more recent source of Moonstone has been Switzerland where some fine examples were mined in the area around Mt Adular. Moonstone with a blue sheen, the most valuable kind, rarely occurs in sizes over 15-20 carats.

To add to the complexity, there are a few other gemstones which exhibit similar visual effects to moonstone such as plagioclase (a variety of albite), antiperthite, and anorthoclase. Occasionally these Chakras can become unbalanced or blocked and need to be unblocked or readjusted. Because moonstone is relatively common and inexpensive, you will find it used in numerous jewelry creations. Each Chakra influences a particular physical, emotional or mental condition and has an associated color. Did you know?

You can do this by running the stone under tepid water and drying it in the sun for about an hour. Moonstones are slightly different to other gemstones because the most important part of the value is the shimmer, the liquid-like gleam or to use the scientific term, ''adularescence''. Labradorite, Sunstone and Amazonite have very similar chemical compositions and are also types of feldspars. Moonstone should be cleansed every two weeks to keep it at its maximum potential.