Moonstones are sublime gemstones with a shimmering pearl-like lustre. It is a stone of calm and healing, a bestower of peace and balance. Moonstones bring you tranquillity and deep vitality.
Moonstone has been used in jewellery since ancient times. Romans actually believed that it was made out of solidified rays of moonlight. Both the Greeks and Romans associated the gemstone with their Luna Gods and Goddesses.
More recently It has also been made popular by famous Art Noveau jewellery designer Renae Lalique who used Moonstone in many of his creations.
Different kinds of Moonstones
Traditional Moonstones are white or clear with a milky reflection or a brownish, orange or pink colour.
However, there is another type of Moonstone called Rainbow Moonstone, also known as Blue Moonstone. These stones have a distinctive blue reflection. They almost look like an Opal. Technically these stones are transparent Labradorites but the jewellery trade has renamed them Rainbow Moonstones.
I prefer using Rainbow Moonstones over traditional Moonstones in my jewellery. I’m captivated by their shimmering reflections.
They have a similar luminosity and hue to an opal (although their colour range is more limited).
Handmade Rainbow Moonstone Set in Rose and Yellow Gold
There is a huge range in the quality of Rainbow Moonstones. From milky stones full of cloudiness and many inclusions (natural flaws that can look like cracks to the untrained eye) to gemstone quality Rainbow Moonstones that are very bright, clean and mostly inclusion free.
What Do You Pay For Rainbow Moonstones?
There is a significant difference in price between more inferior Rainbow Moonstones and gemstone quality stones. You can pay up to AU$600 per carat for a high-quality Rainbow Moonstone. A lesser quality stone is usually charged by the gram and is much cheaper, usually around $30 per gram.
Rainbow Moonstone Jewellery
Traditional Moonstones work with just about any stone. I don’t use them often because they are paler and therefore a little less interesting to combine with other stones.
Rainbow Moonstones go extremely well with stones that pick up and accentuate their blue highlights such as Blue Topaz or Blue Sapphires.
I set lower grade Rainbow Moonstones in Sterling Silver but set high-grade Moonstones in Yellow or Rose Gold. My passion is designing jewellery using faceted Moonstones which are not common. This different cut reflects the light in a very unique way. The warmth of the Yellow or Rose Gold combined with Rainbow Moonstones is gorgeous and not often used by conventional jewellery makers.
Blue Moonstone Gold and Silver Ring