Moonstone

I’m looking forward to this evening, when the new moon, or ‘supermoon’ will show itself in the night sky.  Because of our planetary positioning it will apparently appear larger to us here on earth than it has done for many years, in fact since 1948.  To ward off cloud-cover I’ve taken my moonstones out of their little box and for luck wrapped the chain round my neck under my jumper.  I’m not much of a jewellery wearer normally – the activities of stone carving and bracelets, trinkets, rings and necklaces just don’t work together – but I do love my moonstones.

The name “moonstone” was coined by the ancient Greeks to describe gemstones that displayed the moon’s ethereal silvery light.  The Romans believed that the stone was formed out of moonlight.  Moonstones are in fact members of the feldspar group of gemstones. They are remarkable for their chatoyancy or adularescence (glow or inner light – as if the light were billowing across the gem) which is created when light falls and scatters between the thin layers of different feldspar (with different refractive qualities) laid down during the stone’s formation.

Moonstone’s body colour can range from colourless to white, grey, brown, yellow, orange, green, or peach.  But its beauty is in its sheen, and moonlike glow, which can be white to deep flame blue.

For now I’m feeling the silver-white lustre, the soft mesmerising sheen, and the subtle and soothing colours of my moonstones in anticipation of viewing a big light in the sky.

Happy Moonwatching!