Moonstone

  

Moonstones are usually colourless to white, semi-transparent to translucent, and characterised by a glowing light effect known as adularescence, the visibility of which is confined to a restricted angle of view. The most valuable of the feldspar gems.

• Varieties: Some may exhibit cat’s eye effect.
• Sources: Sri Lanka (blue), Switzerland, Burma, United States, Madagascar, Tanzania.
  Phenomena Adularescence- a glowing effect, the finest of which is bluish. Finest quality moonstone is semi-transparent; poorest is translucent. Occasionally a sharp cat’s eye may be present.
• Toughness: Poor
• Precautions: As a courtesy for our customers, the owner and staff will happily wear a mask by customer request, and will typically do so automatically if a customer comes in wearing theirs, but we do not require customers or staff to wear a mask at all times.
• Treatments: Majority of moonstones are typically eye-clean, which means that they are free from any visible inclusions or imperfections. They, therefore, generally do not require any treatment. That said, some stones may display characteristic flaws in the form of tiny tension cracks called 'centipedes'.
• History: Both the Romans and the Greeks associated moonstone with their lunar deities. The Roman natural historian, Pliny, coined the name of this gemstone when he wrote that moonstone's shimmery appearance shifted with the phases of the moon—a belief that held until well after the sixteenth century.
• Uses: Moonstone can be used for many things. It can be used to clear the third eye and awaken the crown chakra. It can be used to balance and harmonize your yin and yang elements. It can be used to help solve issues around fertility, PMS, and hormones.