Moonstone Jewelry
Moonstone rings have the attribute of an alluring play of light. It has a glow that changes when the stone is moved back and forth. Moonstone is the birthstone for June and the 13th year anniversary. Moonstones from Sri Lanka offer a scintillation of pale blue on an almost transparent background. The sensual, feminine stone coming from India have a “beige brown, green, orange or brown color. These colors with its glistening characteristics make it a perfect stone for moonstone rings and other moonstone jewelry.
Some have a cat’s eye effect or a four spotted star sapphire. In the Art Nouveau period, moonstone was a traditional stone to use in jewelry. Rene Lalique also masterfully used moonstone in pieces currently found in museums and private collections today. As an uncut, stone it is very hard to see its natural soft shimmer because the stone needs to be cut to see its delightful play of color. Moonstones are most often cut into a cameo, engraved with faces of children or a cabochon shape.
Although moonstones come from Sri Lanka, this transparent stone with its soft bluish shimmer also comes from the United States, Brazil, Australia, Myanmar and Madagascar. The cost of these moonstones have risen sharply over time as the stones have become rarer. Moonstone has one weakness. It is 6 out of 10 on the mohs scale of hardness and because of this, needs to be treated with care. A moonstone ring or other moonstone jewelry, which may have become dull overtime, can be given to a jeweler to bring the shine back.
Moonstone comes in many price ranges. The most valuable moonstones are larger, a more intense color of blue and are more transparent. The Indian moonstone is much more available and popular and thus more reasonably priced than the traditional blue color. For that reason, moonstones are available in many price ranges today.