MOONSTONE: June Birthstone
Moonstone is a birthstone of the month June and is also the Florida State Gemstone. It was designated as such in 1970 to commemorate the Moon landings, which took off from Kennedy Space Center. Despite it being the Florida State Gemstone, it does not naturally occur in the state. Being that our jewelry store, Devon's Diamonds & Decor, is located in Boca Raton, Florida, we found this bit of information to be interesting.
HISTORY OF MOONSTONE
Moonstone is the best-known gem of the feldspar group of minerals. It is renowned for its adularescence, the light that appears to billow across a gemstone, giving it a special glow. The finest moonstones show a blue sheen against a colorless background.
This June birthstone has been associated with both the Roman and Greek lunar deities. Hindu mythology claims that it is made of solidified moonbeams. Moonstone is often associated with love, passion and fertility; it is believed to bring great luck. It is a stone for “new beginnings”, inner growth and strength. It soothes emotional instability and stress, and stabilizes the emotions, providing calmness. Moonstone enhances intuition, promotes inspiration, success and good fortune in love and business matters.
Moonstone’s delicate beauty and its long-established heritage make it perhaps the most familiar gem-quality member of the feldspar group. Feldspars are the most widespread minerals in the earth’s crust, as well as some of the most diverse. You can pick up a rock anywhere in the world, and you’ll probably find that it contains a mineral or two from the feldspar group.
Moonstone is a variety of the feldspar-group mineral orthoclase. It’s composed of two feldspar minerals, orthoclase and albite. At first, the two minerals are intermingled. Then, as the newly formed mineral cools, the intergrown orthoclase and albite separate into stacked, alternating layers. When light falls between these thin, flat layers, it scatters in many directions, producing the phenomenon called adularescence. Adularescence is the light that appears to billow across a gemstone, giving its surface a glowing appearance.
WHERE IS MOONSTONE FOUND?
Moonstone can be found in a wide variety of places. This includes parts of the United States, such as New Mexico, North Carolina and Virginia. The most important world locations for the moonstone birthstone are India and Sri Lanka, but sources also include Brazil, India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Myanmar and Tanzania.
HOW TO CHOOSE MOONSTONE
Like diamonds and other gemstones, moonstones are assessed by the 4Cs: color, clarity, cut, and carat weight. When buyers select moonstones, they look for three key factors: bodycolor (background color) and color and orientation of the sheen.
- COLOR. Throughout its long history, people have agreed on the qualities that the most highly favored moonstones should display: a colorless, semitransparent to nearly transparent appearance without visible inclusions, and a vivid blue adularescence, known in the trade as blue sheen. The finest moonstone is a gem of glassy purity with a mobile, electric blue shimmer.
The bodycolor should be nearly colorless and free of any yellowish, brownish, or unattractive green tints. Adularescence should, ideally, be blue. The sheen should be centered on the top of a cabochon, and it should be easily seen from a wide range of viewing angles. If a moonstone’s adularescence is only visible within a restricted viewing range, its value drops.
- CLARITY. A good moonstone should be almost transparent and as free of inclusions as possible. Inclusions can potentially interfere with the adularescence. Characteristic inclusions in moonstone include tiny tension cracks called centipedes. They are called this because they resemble those long, thin creatures with many legs.
- CUT. Moonstone might be shaped into beads for strands, but by far the most common cutting style is the cabochon, a form that displays its phenomenal color or colors to best advantage. Moonstone cabochons are usually oval, but cutters sometimes offer cabochons in interesting shapes, such as the tapered sugarloaf—an angular cabochon with a square base. If a moonstone is cut as a cabochon, the dimensions should be uniform, and the profile shouldn’t be too flat. Very flat cabochons don’t display sheen well and have little value. Faceted moonstones have become increasingly common. The cut heightens brilliance and tends to hide any inclusions that might be present.
- CARAT WEIGHT. Moonstone comes in a wide range of sizes and carat weights. Fine-quality material is becoming scarcer in larger sizes.
MOONSTONE BIRTHSTONE CARE & CLEANING
Moonstone is a 6–6.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness and has poor toughness. It may crack when exposed to high heat. Therefore, ultrasonic and steam cleaners should not be used on your moonstone. The best option for cleaning is warm, soapy water with a soft brush.
MOONSTONE JEWELRY IN BOCA RATON
Whether you’re celebrating a June birthday or honoring Florida’s state gemstone, moonstone jewelry makes a luminous gift. Stop by our jewelry store in Boca Raton to view our selection of moonstone jewelry.
