Moonstones are prized for their adularescence, an optical phenomenon that creates the appearance of billowing clouds of blue to white moon-brilliant light. Usually, the more transparent and colorless the body and the bluer the adularescence, the higher the value of the moonstone.

Moonstone can be expensive, but its price varies widely. It can range from as low as $10 to as high as $1,000. The price of moonstone is reduced by its murkiness and the presence of inclusions within it. The price rises with respect to its increasing size and see.

Moonstone is orthoclase feldspar with different compositions, usually with alternating orthoclase and albite layers. Moonstone has a variety of body colors, from colorless to gray, brown, yellow, green or pink.

The best moonstone has a blue luster, high transparency, and a white to colorless body color. The moonstone, which is found all over the world, is prized for its blue-white glow, a floating shine similar to moonlight. The most popular shape for this gem is the “man in the moon” face, which can be carved from unique varieties of moonstone.

The Proper Valuation of Moonstones – Color & Sheen

The uneven surface of the carving, combined with the changing flattering sheen, creates a delightfully complex and lively effect. Moonstone is available in a wide range of sizes and carats. Moonstone with blue reflections, the most valuable species, is rarely found in sizes over 15-20 carats. And moonstones with a pure blue tint are considered the most valuable.

By far the most valuable moonstones are rainbow stones, or those that are colorless and transparent but still have a bright bluish sheen. As bluish moonstones of good color and clarity are becoming increasingly rare, prices have increased significantly in recent years. The most precious moonstones are usually transparent and have a unique bluish tint.

Such stones are known as rainbow moon stones and are quite valuable in their own right. The most popular type of moonstone is the fancy colored stones (as discussed above).

The various colors only come from India, while white moonstone is obtained from other sources. In India, rainbow moonstone is mined in the southwest, and blue is mined in Bihar in the center of the country. Moonstones from India are the most colorful and come in a wide variety of colors including white, beige, brown, green, orange, yellow, and blue. You can also find moonstones in other colors – peach, pink, gray, and others.

Optical Phenomena Associated with Moonstone

Moonstone is usually colorless, but also comes in a silvery sheen and many colors such as white, sky blue, pink, and orange. Moonstone can be available in many colors including yellow, brown, green, blue, and multicolor. Moonstone is a popular stone, it is a variation of the mineral family of feldspar orthoclase, moonstones are characterized by attractive iridescence under certain lighting conditions, which exhibit a beautiful luster reminiscent of the light of the moon, this is the phenomenal origin of the name of the stone and is called by the gemologist “advarescence”.

Optical addressing phenomenon, a kind of play of color or iris, is caused by a unique structural pattern in a moonstone crystal, usually mined with translucent or opaque transparency, transparent moonstones are less common and considered more valuable.

The Limited Supply of Moonstone

It can be found in volcanic rocks and can have the same blue luster as moonstone. It is a close relative of white moonstone, a feldspar mineral with a sheen that appears in a variety of iridescent colors. And all moonstone color options have a bluish tint underneath, which gives it a striking glow. The blue moonstone is transparent and crystalline with a floating blue hue on the surface. The most coveted stones have the deepest blue color.

Due to their unique beauty and limited supply, this type of moonstone and the jewellery made from them may be too expensive. When buying moonstones, price fluctuations can be confusing, ranging from a few cents for a dark white gem to hundreds of dollars for large transparent blue, green or iridescent specimens. Generally speaking, compared with gems such as diamonds and emeralds, moonstones are affordable and can cost thousands of dollars per carat. Moonstones are beautiful and inexpensive jewelry that can help you build a gem collection.

The best moonstone has a blue luster, perfect clarity and colorless body color. Moonstone can look like plagioclase feldspar or orthoclase feldspar with many colors. Like most gemstones, moonstone comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and degrees of clarity. As mentioned above, the most famous moonstone specimens come from Sri Lanka, they captivate with their attractive blue material.

The Price of Moonstone Is Mostly Constant

Although the price of gemstones fluctuates with changes in the number of high-quality specimens sold and fashion, and changes in the blink of an eye, moonstones will not change much due to the large number of mines and their relative abundance. Moonstone is one of high or low value gems, depending on the sample you have. The price and value of moonstone depend on the size and quality of the gemstone. The value of moonstone depends on many different factors, including clarity, cut, color, and carat weight.

The moonstone, with a hardness of 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, is defined as a relatively soft stone, and this allows jewelry designers to experiment with the shape and appearance of their collections. This variety of stones is considered a very good material for jewelry making at an affordable price, but sometimes the best gemstones can be used in high-end jewelry, as did the famous jeweler Rene Lalique, who used the moonstone for some of his masterpieces.

The milky white moonstone is fairly easy to find and therefore relatively less expensive than other specimens. Clear and blue moonstones, which exhibit high-quality floating radiance from all sides and areas of the stone, are widely considered the most valuable variety of true moonstone at $ 50 per carat.

The Chemical Structures of Rainbow Moonstone

Rainbow moonstone or labradorite, a kind of transparent plagioclase (contrary to true moonstone, it is orthoclase, more in the first article of this series) sometimes the price is higher, but not too much.

Depending on the overall quality of the gemstone, the price of most moonstones ranges from just over $1 per carat to the brightest gemstone at $15 per carat. The price of a good rainbow moonstone specimen ranges from US$5 to US$60 per carat, and a beautiful cat’s eye can range from US$3 to US$50 per carat. Most moonstones have a smooth domed cabochon to better convey the appearance and color.

Moonstone is a gem-grade feldspar type silicate, the center of its chemical composition is aluminum. Moonstone is a kind of transparent or opaque oligoclase. It is a kind of albite plagioclase, lamellar mica and orthoclase (straight crack). It is a kind of alkaline feldspar called “adularia”. A gem-grade aluminum and potassium silicate.