Rainbow moonstone

Roll it under the light and find the blue.

On the strand it reads almost white, a row of small glassy panes with a little cloud held inside each one. Then you tilt the string toward a window and the blue arrives, bead after bead, and switches off again as you turn away. That tilt is why people reach for it. A few beads carry a flick of gold or violet along one edge. Cut with facets, the sheen breaks into short bright points instead of one soft billow.

Where it comes from

Rainbow moonstone is white labradorite, a plagioclase feldspar of sodium, calcium and aluminum silicate. Classic moonstone is a different member of the family, orthoclase, where light scattering between alternating thin layers of orthoclase and albite makes the soft floating glow called adularescence, named because it looks like the moon behind thin cloud. Nearly all commercial moonstone of that older kind comes from the Dumbara District of Sri Lanka. Labradorite scatters light off its own thin internal layers, which is why the color runs to blue and sometimes further, and the trade has long accepted it as a gem in its own right. Some buyers now prefer it to the traditional stone. The rough behind bead strands is mostly Indian. Ours are cut in Jaipur and chosen strand by strand in Cupertino, California.

What tradition says

In Hindu mythology moonstone is described as solidified moonbeams, and cultures far from one another have tied the stone to moonlight. Old legends hold that it brings good luck, and it was once believed that holding a moonstone in your mouth during a full moon would let you see what was coming. In crystal tradition, rainbow moonstone is the stone of new beginnings, carried at thresholds and turning points, and people have long believed it steadies the person wearing it. Moonstone is a June birthstone, one of the original modern birthstones set in 1912, sharing the month with pearl and alexandrite. That connection is why it turns up so often in gifts given for a birthday or a start.

These are beliefs people have held about the stone, told as tradition. They are not claims, and not advice.

How makers use it

Bridal, celestial and boho makers keep coming back to it, and the shapes that move fastest here are faceted rondelles and briolettes. Rondelles at 3 to 4mm work as spacers and as a full white line in a strung necklace, bright without shouting. Pear briolettes around 9x15mm hang well for earrings, single drops or a fringe. Coins suit a statement piece where you want the sheen read as one broad plane. On a strong strand the blue lifts across most of the beads rather than showing on two or three while the rest sit chalky. We list four strands.

Looking after it

Wear it in earrings and necklaces rather than a bracelet that takes knocks. At 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, with perfect cleavage, a hard hit can split a bead along its grain. Clean with warm soapy water and a soft brush, then dry it. Keep it out of ultrasonic machines and away from steam.

Sources: Moonstone History and Lore, Is rainbow moonstone really moonstone?, What Is Moonstone Gemstone | Moonstone Stone – GIA, Moonstone: Gems with a white, silver, blue or rainbow glow