What is moonstone?
Kurz gesagt:
Moonstone = feldspar with shifting blue shimmer (adularescence). Always buy as a cabochon. Sri Lanka delivers the best quality.
Moonstone is a feldspar mineral, notable for its characteristic adularescence – a moving blue-white shimmer that shifts with the viewing angle. No other gemstone has this effect with such intensity.
Why does moonstone shimmer?
Moonstone consists of two different feldspar minerals in thin layers. These layers refract light and create the moving shimmer – the deeper and bluer, the more valuable the stone.
Buying moonstone – what to look for?
- Intensity of shimmer: Strong and deep-blue = best quality
- Cut: Always cabochon (smoothly domed) – facets suppress the effect
- Transparency: Semi-transparent to clear = higher quality
- Origin: Sri Lanka and India provide the best moonstones
Caring for moonstone
Mohs 6–6.5 – delicate. Clean only with a damp cloth, no ultrasound, store separately.
Moonstone rings in silver and gold: corelunejewellery.de.
