Birthstones - Brilliant Jewelers


Moonstone is an alternative birthstone for the month of June.


Description

Moonstone almost seems magical with a ghostly shimmering glow floating in a crystalline material. The Romans thought that moonstone was formed out of moonlight.

Moonstone is a variety of feldspar and the shimmer, which is called schiller or adularescence, is caused by the intergrowth of two different types of feldspar, with different refractive indexes. In Europe, moonstone is considered the birthstone for June, although in the United States it shares that distinction with alexandrite and pearl.

Moonstones come in a variety of colors. The body color can range from colorless to gray, brown, yellow, green, or pink. The clarity ranges from transparent to translucent. The best moonstone has a blue sheen, perfect clarity, and a colorless body color. Sometimes moonstone will have an eye as well as a sheen.

Another related feldspar variety is known as rainbow moonstone. In this variety of labradorite feldspar, the sheen is a variety of rainbow hues. Fine moonstone is quite rare and becoming rarer. It is mined in Sri Lanka and Southern India. The rainbow variety can also be found in Madagascar.

Moonstones are usually cut in a smooth-domed cabochon shape to maximize the effect. Sometimes they are carved to show a man-in-the-moon face. Moonstone beads also display the sheen very well and are simply stunning against a black shirt, outfit or black dress.

Stone Lore

The stone of tenderness. Moonstone is a fairly soft stone, hardness of 6 on Moh's scale, and it has a gentle translucent sheen.

Some legends say it was formed out of the rays of the moon. Others claim you can see the future in a moonstone during a waning moon. Still others say it’s a stone for lovers with the power to make the wearer faithful. My favorite bit of lore about the moonstone, though, comes from India’s astrologers, who say it is the stone used to befriend the moon. In lore, moonstone is used primarily as a stone that opens the heart, though there’s also stories where people use Moonstone to foretell the future.

Moonstone represents inner growth and strength. It soothes emotional instability and stress, and stabilizes emotions, providing calmness. Moonstone is connected to sacred feminine energies and has a positive impact on hormone balances. Moonstone enhances intuition, promotes inspiration, success and good fortune in love and business matters.


 January
 Garnet
 February
 Amethyst
 March
 Aquamarine
 Bloodstone*
 April
 Diamond
 White Topaz*
 Quartz*
 Sapphire*
 May
 Emerald
 June
 Pearl
 Moonstone*
 Alexandrite*
 July
 Ruby
 Onyx*
 August
 Peridot
 Carnelian*
 Sardonyx*
 September
 Sapphire
 October
 Opal
 Lapis Lazuli*
 Tourmaline*
 November
 Topaz
 Citrine
 Zircon*
 December
 Turquoise
 Tanzinite*

* alternative birthstones