Moonstone acquired its name from Roman historian Pliny, who wrote that the gemstone’s appearance shifted with the phases of the moon. Moonstone has primarily a bluish tone but can vary in color appearing yellow, gray, peach, green and pink, displaying at times a cat’s eye effect or asterism.
Moonstone is composed of microscopic layers of feldspar that scatter light to cause its adularescence. Thinner layers produce a bluish sheen while the thicker layers look white.
The word adularescence derives from the early moonstone mines close to Adularia, in Switzerland which supplied this gem and gave birth to the term adularescence, referring to the stone’s milky glow, like moonlight floating.
Named for this very moon-like sheen, Moonstone is a Feldspar mineral exhibiting a soft, watery opaqueness and a silvery-white reflection called chatoyancy that moves as a line across the surface as light varies. Moonstone occurs in delicate shades of peach, blue, gray, white and a prismatic variety known as Rainbow Moonstone.
June’s Third Birthstone but Primarily a Woman’s Stone….
Called first and foremost a women’s stone, directly associated with the Mother Goddess. Like the moon, this stone’s reflective shimmer reminds us that just as the moon waxes and wanes through a natural cycle, so do we as human beings… Moonstone represents hope, calmness and abundance associated with all types of love.
The well-known varieties of moonstone include ‘cat’s eye moonstone’, which exhibits chatoyancy, the rainbow moonstone’ with a blue sheen, considered as the most valuable variety ad the the ‘star moonstone’ which displays asterism.
The finest classical moonstones are colorless and transparent with a blue shimmer and originate from Sri Lanka. The sources of high-quality blue moonstones have gradually been mined out, causing the prices to rise accordingly.
Moonstones are also found in India, Australia, Myanmar, Madagascar and the United States. Indian gemstones—which are brown, green or orange in color—are more abundant and affordably priced.
Moonstone in Mythology
As ancient as the moon itself, Moonstone holds the power of mystery. Only within its reflected light can we begin to understand what it has to teach us. Moonstone is foremost a talisman of the inward journey, taking one deep into the self to retrieve what is missing, ‘the parts of the soul left behind or forgotten, then brought to light.’
As its name implies, moonstone is closely associated with lunar mystery and magic. Its calming, balancing energies can supposedly attune to natural biological rhythms. Also known as the traveler’s stone, it is believed to protect travelers at night. Moonstone is used to treat insomnia and sleepwalking, encourage sound sleep and create beneficial dreams.
Since earliest times, Moonstone has been a tangible connection to the magic of the moon – an amulet of protection for travelers, a gift of lovers for passion, a channel for prophecy, and a path to wisdom. Our ties to the moon are strong. As it waxes and wanes in cyclic perfection, it creates Moonstone has been used in Roman jewelry for nearly two thousand years, even longer in the Orient. It has always been a sacred stone in India with a special significance for lovers, and is a traditional wedding gift there. It was a popular choice for jewelers in the Art Nouveau period, and in Europe was believed to reconcile estranged lovers and to cure sleeplessness.
Different Healing Effects based on Variety…
Blue, or Cat’s Eye Moonstone, promotes clarity of the mind and inner vision
Gray Moonstone is said to be a stone of perceiving beyond the veil – useful to the clairvoyant and shaman, and in moving one into unseen realms. It is called the “New Moon Stone” and carries the mysteries and powers of the new moon, where all things exist as potential.
White Moonstone can magnify one’s emotions, activating energy in women and emotional balance in men, and is supportive in children to drive away nightmares or insomnia.
Peach or Yellow Moonstone supports the heart as it stimulates the mind, soothing worry or anxiety and bringing out the best in people.
Rainbow Moonstone acts as a prism, diffusing energy throughout the aura. It provides psychic protection, clearing the mind and senses, and aids in lucid dreaming and calm sleep.