Moonstone - The Stone of Balance & Intuition.

Moonstone is characterised by an enchanting play of light. Indeed it owes its name to that mysterious shimmer which always looks different when the stone is moved and is known in the trade as 'adularescence'. In earlier times, people believed they could recognise in it the crescent and waning phases of the moon.

Moonstones from Sri Lanka, the classical country of origin of the moonstone, shimmer in pale blue on an almost transparent background. Specimens from India feature a nebulous interplay of light and shadow on a background of beige-brown, green, orange or brown. These discreet colours, in connection with the fine shimmer, make the moonstone an ideal gemstone for jewellery with a sensual, feminine aura. This gemstone was very popular once before, about a hundred years ago at the time of Art Nouveau. It adorns a noticeably large number of the jewellery creations of the French master goldsmith René Lalique and his contemporaries, mainly to be found in museums and collections today.

This gemstone is surrounded by a good deal of mystique and magic. In many cultures, for example in India, it is regarded as a holy, magical gemstone. In India, moonstones are also regarded as 'dream stones' which bring the wearer beautiful visions at night. In Arabic countries, women often wear moonstones sewn out of sight into their garments, for in their cultures the moonstone is a symbol of fertility.

The moonstone symbolises our being in its entirety. With its soft shimmer, it strengthens our emotional and subconscious aspects. The associations connected with that make it a "lovers' stone", evoking tender feelings and safeguarding the true joys of love. It is also said that wearing a moonstone strengthens our intuition and our capacity to understand

The shimmer of light of the moonstone is something very special in the fascinating world of gemstones. Specialists refer to the phenomenon as 'adularisation'. The cause of it is the lamellar inner construction of the gemstone. Incident light rays are refracted and scattered in the stone. In this way, a unique light effect comes about, and it is this which makes the moonstone so distinctive and so desirable.

However, this beautiful gemstone does have one weak point, and that is its relatively low hardness of only 6 on the Mohs scale. For that reason, moonstones should be handled with care, for they are sensitive. Having said that, minor flaws such as may occur when the stone has been worn for some time are quite easy to remedy. A jeweller can have a moonstone which has grown matt repolished, after which it will shimmer again just as it did on the very first day.

Let the calming effect of this crystal make you more conscious of your feelings. Allow yourself to become aware of your feminine dreamy side which is often neglected in our busy modern world.

Feeling troubled, disturbed, even anxious?
The kind of feelings that come to us in the darkest part of the night...

The moon guides you to through the unknown so you can let the unusual into your life. However, it is easy to lose our way in the moonlight - be careful not to deceptions and false ideas lead you astray.

Hold fast to your vision of purpose; as you can unexpectedly be thrust into the mysterious fantasy realm of the Moon through drugs, madness or battle.

If you've lost your path, be careful not to let Illusion lead you astray. Use the white light of the moon to guide you back to your path, letting it inspire and enchant you - as the moon holds the promise that all you imagine can be yours.