Moonstone
"I loved to think that Moonstones were made
by the breaking-off of minute portions from the
moon itself, which after travelling about a
while in space finally reached earth".
Louis Kornitzer, Gem Trader (1939)
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To commemorate
the 1969 moon landing launched from
the J. F. Kennedy Space Centre,
Moonstone was made Florida's
official state gem in 1970 |
'Gem Trader' is one of the coolest books ever
written on gemstones. I especially like
Louis'
imaginary lunar origin for Moonstone.
Interestingly, 31 years later, Moonstone was
made Florida's official state gem to commemorate
the 1969 moon landing. Also known as Selenite
and Adularia, Moonstone is aptly named for its
likeness to the moon. Selenite is from the Greek
'selene', meaning moon and also the name of the
moon goddess in Greek mythology (selenology
being the study of the geology of the moon).
Adularia is named for a variety of Moonstone
found in the European Alps and also lends its
name to the optical phenomena unique to
Moonstone, called adularescence (read on for
more).
There
is something magical about Moonstone. With some
gems you struggle to understand their lore (who
would think to string a Perdiot on a donkey's
hair as protection from evil spirits?), but
Moonstone's mythology is immediately
understandable. Given the importance of the moon
to the ancients and Moonstone's lunar
association, the reverence afforded this gem is
no surprise. In both ancient India and Rome,
Moonstone was believed to be mystically created
by rays of moonlight, probably due to the silver
to bluish-white light that magically dances
across the gem. Considered a sacred gem in
India, the Hindi name for Moonstone is 'chandrakant',
meaning 'beloved of the moon'. Based on
Moonstone's mythical moonlight origin, the name
is derived from the Sanskrit 'chandra' (moon)
and 'kanta' (beloved). The Romans thought
Moonstone's appearance changed with the waxing
and waning of the moon, going as far to think
their moon goddess (Diana) was pictured in every
Moonstone. A recurring theme in Moonstone's
mythology is divination, which is not surprising
considering it is regarded as a feminine or
'goddess' gemstone. In mythology, divination was
usually a feminine trait, so much so that during
antiquity, men used to cross dress with a
Moonstone in their mouths to see the future. The
gem of 'tender passion', Moonstone's mythology
also makes numerous references to its ability to
influence that most powerful and positive of all
emotions, love.
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Rainbow
Moonstone 9K Yellow
Gold Ring |
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On a visit to Sri Lanka, an important source for
Moonstone, a local gem dealer told me Moonstone
means 'no tears' because when there is a moon in
the sky, there is no rain. But one thing to cry
about is the declining availability of gem
quality Moonstone. Always scarce, Moonstone is
one of the most coveted varieties of Feldspar.
Feldspar (derived from the German 'feldt spat',
meaning 'field stone' because of its ability to
enrich the soil with plant nutrients) is a
mineral family especially known for gems with
beautiful optical phenomenon, such as
adularescence, aventurescence and iridescence
(click here for more). Its two subgroups are
the plagioclase group and the potassium group.
Distinguished by their calcium and sodium
content and ratio, the plagioclase group
includes most gem varieties. Gems in the
potassium group share the same chemical
composition, but are distinguished by their
crystal structure. One important thing to
remember is that many Feldspar gems look
similar. Often confused due to their similar
compositions and trade names, some gemmologists
love to debate the differences. My advice is not
to worry about this too much; some Feldspar gems
are so close in composition that even some
gemstone laboratories find it difficult to tell
them apart. A member of the potassium Feldspar
group, Moonstone is closely related to
Labradorite and Sunstone (also covered in this
section).
Some books confusingly make no distinction
between gemstones and minerals, leading some to
question the rarity of their gems after they
read statements like, "probably the most
abundant minerals on earth". Organic gems aside,
all gems are minerals, but not all mineral
specimens possess the three attributes of
beauty, rarity and durability necessary to make
them a gemstone.
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Rainbow
Moonstones displaying bright blue
adularescence |
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Moonstone occurs commercially in a few isolated deposits
in India, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and Tanzania,
making it far rarer than many better known
gemstones. It comes in a variety of colours
including brown, green, grey, pink, rainbow,
white, yellow and colourless. Moonstone has a
silver to bluish-white sheen (adularescence,
click here for more), is semi-translucent to
translucent and often displays a very high
clarity. Having said this, 'gem quality'
Moonstones are increasingly difficult to obtain,
especially over 1 carat. Technically, Labradorite Feldspar in composition, Rainbow
Moonstone is an optical phenomena 'double
whammy'. It displays a bright blue adularescence
as well as an iridescence that breaks white
light into its spectral components (click
here for more). For the professional, the 'best'
Moonstone has a blue sheen that moves smoothly
across the gem as the viewing angle changes,
high clarity, and a colourless body colour.
Adularescence is the real magic behind
Moonstone. Once you've collectively judged a
Moonstone's cut (shape, proportion and finish),
colour, transparency and clarity, adularescence
is this gem's key quality and value determinant.
Obviously, for Rainbow Moonstone iridescence
also plays a part. While Moonstones were
traditionally cut as cabochons, they are also
increasingly faceted.
Due to its sparkling interaction with jewellery
metals, Moonstone is one of those gems that just
loves being set in jewellery. As mentioned
previously, gem quality Moonstone is getting
scarcer by the minute, so if you are enamoured
by the magic of Moonstone, there has never been
a better time to add one of June's birthstones
to your collection.
Labradorite
Named after the Labrador Peninsula in Canada where it
was first discovered, a
plagioclase Feldspar that is mined in China,
India and Madagascar. Labradorite is available
in transparent specimens (usually red, orange,
yellow or colourless) as well as smoke grey
varieties that show a striking metallic coloured
iridescence, aptly called 'labradorescence' (click
here for more). This phenomena displays
rainbow coloured reflections as light strikes
the gem from different angles, and it is judged
by observing the strength, intensity and range
of colours. Colloquial names include 'black
rainbow' and 'firestone' (the name used by the
Native Americans of Labrador who believed the
gem possessed mystical qualities).
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Sunstone
Named for its resemblance to the sun, Sunstone is a
plagioclase Feldspar that is typically yellow,
pink, orange, red or colourless. Sunstone's most
important attribute is its aventurescence, the
beautiful glittering sunlight effect caused by
tiny metallic inclusions (click
here for more).
Predominately mined in India, Madagascar and the
U.S.A. (Oregon Sunstone has been the State of
Oregon's official gemstone since 1987), Sunstone
was once coveted for its purported ability to
guide its wearer through the journey of life.
Considering its name, it's not surprising that
legend also connects Sunstone to the sun.
According to one story, Pope Clement VII
(1478-1534) possessed a Sunstone with a golden
spot which moved across the gem in motion with
the sun.
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The chorus in Cat
Steven's classic song 'Moon Shadow',
"Oh, I'm being followed by a moon
shadow", is eerily appropriate for
me. I grew up in an Australian suburb
called Jannali, which is an Aboriginal
word meaning 'place of the moon' and
have ended up living in Chanthaburi,
Thailand, which means 'city of the
moon'. An interesting connection, lent
further coincidence by Moonstone being
one of my wife's favourite gems. A few
years back, upon learning I was off to
Sri Lanka for work, she requested a
Moonstone. Only having been together a
short while, I wanted to get her the
very best I could find when I visited
Meetiyaguda, the source of Sri Lankan
Moonstones located in the island's
south. Me being me, I immediately
launched into a long treatise on quality
in the species, recommending a specimen
with the bluest sheen. I was told that
she wanted a light grey body colour with
a silver shimmer, just like the moon.
And no, she didn't care what I thought.
Remember what I said about gemstone
colour subjectivity on click
here.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter what the
'experts' say, with gemstones it's all
about you, and for my wife it was,
"By the light, of the silvery moon..." |
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