Beautiful but inexpensive gem, the moonstone is a tough gem that does not damage easily.

The moonstone is the most popular and important microcline gem. Its Blue or White sheen is called adolescence and is caused by the presence of tiny crystals of albeit arranged in layers with in the host microcline. This gem is so named because of the bluish white sheen it has. Moonstones without any colour are considered to be the best. The stone is also available in light yellow.

Very thin alternate layers of the two feldspar minerals orthoclase (Potassium Aluminium Silicate) cause a light interference effect called Schiller.

The bluish glow is very reminiscent of moonlight. In addition to this effect, some moonstones have inclusions appropriately arranged to produce good, if somewhat diffuse cat’s eyes.

Moonstones are usually, carved or cut in rounded cabochous with the base parallel to the feldspar layers. The stone is not faceted because it lacks transparency. Good quality cabochous however, are translucent and seem to produce their entire glow from deep inside.

Although the moon stone has a hardness of only six and has a definite cleavage, it is a fairly tough gemstone which does not seem to break easily.

The finest gem material comes from ceylar, either from gravels of the south or directly from igneous rocks in the Southern and Central regions India. There are several other sources including Madagascar, Burma (Myanmar), several places in the USA,Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka and Switzerland.

Some moonstones are nearly opaque and may have a strong body colour, which may be Pink, Green, Yellow,White, Grey or Brown.

These are usually cut as high – do wed cabochons and the sheen is concentrated at the top in a brighter spot that sometimes extends across the stone as a distinct “Eye”. Such gems have been called Cat’s Eye moonstone.

Some others may have a second ray at right angles to the first, forming a cross.

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Moonstones with a strong body colour are primarily from India while the most important historical sources for moonstones are Sri Lanka and upper Burma. This is one of the many gems commonly found in TamilNadu in South India.

With out having to stretch the imagination too much, the name moonstone fits this beautiful and inexpensive gemstone quite well.

The “moonstone helps young girls to unfold their femininity and to cast off inhibitions in the expression of their womanhood. The moonstone’s vibrations also have a very favourable effect on women who tend to appear boyish or masculine : They establish better contact with their female nature.

“This stone possesses a certain mysterious fascination and attraction, as well as a pleasant, supple mobility. These qualities also awakens in us.”