What is Moonstone Gemstone? Value, Price, and Color

Some of the facts you'll uncover include:

• The secrets behind moonstone's value and pricing factors
• The fascinating meaning of moonstone and its symbolic ties to love and the Moon
• Moonstone properties
• Moonstone jewelry use and care tips

Square cushion-cut moonstone, 5.07 cts, 10.2 mm, Ziller Valley, North Tyrol, Tyrol, Austria. © The Gem Trader. Used with permission.

What is Moonstone? Key Facts, Information, and Insights

Moonstone, a gem treasured globally, dazzles with its signature adularescence — a shimmering, moonlight-like glow ranging from blue to white. Though somewhat delicate, this stone remains a beloved pick for jewelry designs.Moonstones belong to the orthoclase feldspar family and features a mix of compositions, typically with alternating layers of orthoclase feldspar and albite. This structure gives moonstone crystals their distinctive shimmering effect, a hallmark of their appeal.

Do Moonstones Make Good Jewelry Stones?

Moonstones are jewelry favorites, yet their hardness of 6 and slight tendency to cleave or chip call for caution.

• Protection is key: opt for protective settings, especially in rings, to shield against scratches.
• Safer choices: brooches and pendants reduce exposure to damage.
• Care tips: in any setting, guard moonstones from rough impacts to preserve their beauty.

What Do Moonstones Symbolize?

With their name tied to the Moon's mystique, moonstones inspire romantic lore associated with fertility, love, protection, and lunar energy. Here are just a few examples of their cultural significance.

• Historical appeal: jewelry aficionados, including royalty, have prized these gems for centuries.
• Regional popularity: in Germany and Scandinavian countries, moonstones outshine pearls and alexandrites as preferred June birthstones.

What Causes a Blue Moonstone Sheen?

Moonstones are sometimes called "adularia" after Mt. Adular in Switzerland, a famous source for these gems. This mountain has also lent its name to moonstone's characteristic, phenomenal effect.

Adularescence is caused by the diffraction of light as it hits thin, alternating layers of orthoclase and albite within the gem. This produces the appearance of a floating, cloud-like, blue-to-white light inside the gem. A blue sheen is produced if the albite crystals are very fine. (Fine orthoclase and albite plates are dispersed within each other as a result of unmixing on cooling). If the albite plates are thick, the sheen is white. Moonstone rough and cut set, 4.3 x 4.1 x 3.7 cm (crystal, Tvedestrand, Norway), 2.11 cts, 1.35 cts (gemstones, India). © Rob Lavinsky, www.iRocks.com. Used with permission.

Moonstone Value: What Determines Its Worth?

The value of a moonstone hinges on several key traits. Gems with a clear, colorless body and vivid blue adularescence fetch the highest prices. Here's a breakdown of what impacts moonstone value:

• Clarity and color — the more transparent and colorless the stone, and the stronger its blue sheen, the greater its worth.
• Cut and quality — cabochons of translucent material, showcasing appealing body color and adularescence, are common and moderately priced.
• Rare finds — on occasion, some transparent stones are faceted for a unique look.
• Historical rarity — the finest colorless, blue-sheen moonstones from Myanmar are nearly depleted, driving up prices as they circulate among dealers and collectors.
• Special effects — for stones with cat's eyes or rare stars, prices rise based on the effect's beauty, size, and clarity.

Affordable options include near-opaque stones with various hues, often carved into "moon faces" or figures. These are budget friendly and widely available.For more insights into quality factors for moonstones, check our buying guide.

Moonstone Varieties

Moonstone properties vary, offering an array of stunning options for gemstone enthusiasts. Lapidaries typically cut high-domed cabochons to highlight adularescence. The highlights of cabbed moonstones include:

• Special effects — strong adularescence can reveal cat's eyes or rare four-legged stars (asterism).
• Color range — body colors, influenced by iron content, range from white, beige, brown, red-brown, orange, greenish, to yellowish. Goethite (iron oxide) adds red tones.

Sanidine Moonstone

Moonstones containing the orthoclase feldspar sanidine occur in Grant County, New Mexico.

What is a "Rainbow Moonstone"?

Some transparent plagioclase feldspars, such as labradorite, also have thin layers of albite. These also produce a blue schiller effect if thin and a white effect if thick.

In rare instances, a multicolored schiller displays blue with green and/or orange colors, a phenomenon known as labradorescence. Although such stones are often called "rainbow moonstones," they're technically a variety of labradorite, not moonstone. Labradorescence is distinct from adularescence .However, the gem trade has generally accepted the use of the name "rainbow moonstone."

Moonstone Identifying Characteristics

Moonstone crystals, gems, and rough stones have traits that set them apart from other gem materials. Here are the notable characteristics that can help gemologists identify moonstones.

Inclusions

Moonstones have unique inclusions that make them easily identifiable. These inclusions include: "Centipede" fissure systems

• Formed due to exsolution pressures along incipient cleavages.
• Consist of short pairs of cracks running parallel to the crystal's vertical axis.
• Smaller cracks extend perpendicularly from these fissures, creating a pattern that resembles many-legged insects under a microscope.

Rectangular dark areas

• Caused by stress cracking or cavities.
• In some cases, a cavity may extend from a rectangular dark area, forming a comma-shaped inclusion.

Myanmar moonstones

• Characterized by the presence of oriented needle inclusions.

This distinct combination of inclusions helps gemologists confidently identify moonstones.

Specific Gravity and Refractive Index

Material from Sri Lanka tends to have specific gravity values on the low end of the moonstone scale, 2.56. Material from India tends toward the high end, 2.59. Most moonstones usually have refractive indices (RI) of 1.520-1.525 with a birefringence of 0.005. However, material from Virginia has an RI of 1.518-1.524 with a birefringence of 0.006.

Simulated and Synthetic Moonstones

Although moonstone has been simulated by milky chalcedony and certain types of synthetic spinel, these substitutes usually look inferior and are easily spotted. Lab-created moonstones haven't entered the market.

Where are Moonstones Found?

Moonstone crystal is mined across the globe. Historically, Myanmar has produced the finest quality gems, but this source is now mostly depleted. Many other countries and regions boast notable sources of this captivating stone. These include the following:

• Australia
• Austria
• Finland
• India
• Madagascar
• Mexico
• Norway
• Sri Lanka
• Switzerland
• Tanzania
• United States - New Mexico and Virginia

How Big Do Moonstones Get?

Moonstone's availability varies by size and quality:

• Rare sizes — blue-sheen moonstones, the most valuable, seldom exceed 15-20 carats.
• Abundant sizes — silvery or white adularescent stones can reach hundreds of carats.
• Indian advantage — Indian moonstones with strong body color are plentiful, well-cut, and affordable.

How to Clean Moonstones

Moonstone requires gentle methods to maintain its beauty.

• Avoid harsh tools — skip mechanical systems like ultrasonic or steam cleaners.
• Safe approach — use warm, soapy water and a soft brush.
• Expert tips — see our gemstone jewelry cleaning guide for more advice.

Your Moonstone Questions Answered

What is the meaning of moonstone?

Various cultures have long traditions of moonstone meaning and symbolism. It has been associated with romantic lore, symbolizing fertility, love, protection, and the Moon's energy. Many civilizations have cherished moonstones for centuries.

Why is rainbow moonstone special?

Rainbow moonstones, technically labradorites, stand out with their multicolored labradorescence, displaying blue, green, and orange hues unlike typical adularescence.

How can I tell if my moonstone is real?

Look for characteristic inclusions like "centipedes" — fissure systems resembling insects. Usually, when people ask if a moonstone is "real," they mean whether it is natural and not synthetic. Synthetic moonstones are not available on the market (though they might exist for research purposes). Therefore, the real challenge for gemologists is the proper identification and differentiation of moonstone from other gemstones.

How should I care for my moonstone jewelry?

Avoid mechanical systems. Clean your jewelry with warm, soapy water and a soft brush. This will protect your moonstone, which has a delicate hardness of 6.