MOONSTONE

REFRACTIVE INDEX    1.518  -  1.526
HARDNESS        6  -  6.5
SPECIFIC GRAVITY      2.56  -  2.59

MINERAL  CLASS        Feldspar Group

 

Moonstones gemstones are found all over the world.  But, Sri Lanka was known to produce the finest moonstones which were almost transparent, with a bluish shimmer. Besides Sir Lanka it  is also mined in Switzerland, India, Russia, Brazil, Australia, Madagascar, USA and Burma.

 

Moonstone is  an orthoclase feldspar.  This gem  is one of the relative handful of Gemstones  that have inclusions so characteristic that seeing them guarantees the identity.

 

The colors of Moonstones  range from colorless to shades of yellow, gray, green, and pink to brown and from transparent to opaque. Moonstone was an  important gemstone having been valued, especially by royalty, for centuries.

 

Generally moonstone is given a cabochon  cut  with a high dome .  Very rarely, extremely translucent to transparent stones are faceted.  Also, Moonstone is cut and faceted into beads.