Moonstone Beads
Moonstone beads are feldspar with a soft floating glow called adularescence, a sheen that seems to sit just below the surface and move as the bead turns. This collection holds every moonstone we stock: white and rainbow moonstone, grey, brown and chocolate moonstone, peach moonstone, tourmalated moonstone and mixed strands, in a range of finishes and shapes for bracelets, necklaces and earrings.
Appearance
White moonstone is milky to nearly clear with a white or faint blue glow. Rainbow moonstone is a white stone with a blue flash, sometimes with gold and violet, and often carries black mineral specks. Grey, greyish brown and chocolate moonstone are smoky to coffee-colored with a silvery sheen. Peach moonstone is apricot to salmon with a warm glow, and tourmalated moonstone holds black needles of tourmaline in a white ground. Mixed strands run through several of these at once.
A polished finish shows the sheen best because adularescence needs a smooth curved surface. Faceted and microfaceted cuts trade some of the glow for sparkle, and a matte finish nearly hides it. Moonstone is 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale with 2 directions of cleavage, so it can chip on a hard knock and scratch against quartz or harder beads. It holds up well in necklaces and earrings and in bracelets worn with a little care, away from harder stones.
Formation and origin
Classic moonstone is orthoclase feldspar that cooled slowly enough for thin layers of albite, a sodium feldspar, to separate out inside it. Light scattering off those layers produces the glow, and thinner layers give a bluer sheen. Rainbow moonstone is a different feldspar, a white form of labradorite, which is why its flash is stronger and more colored. Grey, brown and peach body colors come from iron and fine inclusions. India supplies most bead moonstone in every color, with fine material from Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Myanmar and Tanzania.
Pairings
Labradorite beads: the same feldspar family with a bolder blue and green flash, and identical hardness for even wear.
Aquamarine beads: a pale sea blue that picks up the blue sheen in white and rainbow moonstone.
Clear quartz beads: colorless and glassy next to the milky glow, a clean contrast in white designs.
Meaning and Metaphysical Beliefs
Moonstone has long been linked with the moon: the Romans believed it was formed from moonlight and associated it with their lunar deities, and in India it is a traditional wedding stone. In modern crystal traditions it is associated with intuition, new beginnings and emotional balance, and it is usually placed with the crown or third eye chakra. These are traditional beliefs, not claims of physical effect.
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