Rainbow moonstone pics

[lissyflo]

Hi. I recently bought a rainbow moonstone from The Gemstone Project and wanted to post some pictures in case they are helpful to anyone, as I struggled to find real life pictures while I was looking for a stone. My pictures don't do the stone justice - it's amazingly captivating in real life, with a range of colours appearing unexpectedly. It comes alive in sunlight! It has seemed flat in a couple of situations indoors, but most of the time, even if it's not shooting out colours, it's got a subtle wash of usually yellow or orange. It's really quite bewitching seeing the changing colours within it.

It's destined for a pendant at some point - Elle was going to set it, but it's for a sentimental piece and I had a bit of a wobble about seeing neither the stone nor the setting before the piece was done, so Elle kindly sent it to me unset. I'm glad I've seen it loose as I can have a bit more of a think about what type of setting would suit it's character best.

The blue sheen moonstone in a couple of the shots is one from Mastercut gems, to show the difference in colours between the two. I love the side shot of the two stones as well - it really shows the amazing body transparency of the rainbow stone. I just wish I had the funds for a larger one!

If anyone has set a moonstone, rainbow or otherwise, what have you done for the back of the setting? Do they perform better with a metal behind them, or more open? The black fabric seemed to show off the colours, so I wondered if some kind of black gold back would achieve the same effect in a setting?

ETA - where on earth is the sizing option for photos?! I can never find it, so apologies for the HUGE pics!

 

[SparkliesLuver]

Love, love, love rainbow moonstones. And those from Elle were the best. The liquidity of the body is to die for. And those colors. YUM! You did well! I've heard dark backs work the best to showcase the colors, so if that doesn't bother you then I'd consider something like that. Please keep us posted on your progress. This will be stunning when it's done, I'm sure!

 

[lovedogs]

I love rainbow moonstone and hope to have one like this at some point! That is gorgeous!!!!

 

[leukolenos]

Really unhelpful comment on my part, but that is just STUNNING. It’s like a unicorn egg....or frozen magic dewdrop....gah I just love it.

 

[girlyglam]

That is beautiful!!! A nice moonstone is on my wishlist...yours is amazing.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

Gorgeous! I love the colors shown in your gemstone and wish one day to own a moonstone. Good luck in choosing the perfect pendant setting for this lovely. I am sure it will be amazing.

 

[Bluegemz]

Super beautiful and totally magic! Re setting, I have moonstones set with both open and closed backs. The open back settings are my personal favorite because the the Schiller color against a clear background is so beautiful and dreamy. Also, one can clean more easily. With a high quality stone especially, there is plenty enough of color to pull it off.

The necklace which I have with closed backs shows the metal color strongly through the moonstones, which also creates a lovely affect, and perhaps intensifies a misty, glowy metallic luminous look, but cleaning is a PITA.

Either would be beautiful, and create different looks.

 

[elle_71125]

Really unhelpful comment on my part, but that is just STUNNING. It’s like a unicorn egg....or frozen magic dewdrop....gah I just love it.

Frozen magic dewdrop describes it perfectly. It’s such an ethereal piece.

 

[Hivona]

So glad it went to a PSer so we can follow along it’s development! Wow it’s gorgeous!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Oh that’s stunning!

 

[lissyflo]

Really unhelpful comment on my part, but that is just STUNNING. It’s like a unicorn egg....or frozen magic dewdrop....gah I just love it.

I love your analogies - I can't decide if I prefer to be wearing a unicorn egg or a frozen magic dewdrop! Both cover what it looks like though - it really is bewitching seeing all the colours of the rainbow appear from nowhere, especially if the stone has been 'off' just before, as it's so clear and transparent that it looks completely unassuming. It's magic courtesy of nature!

 

[lissyflo]

Super beautiful and totally magic! Re setting, I have moonstones set with both open and closed backs. The open back settings are my personal favorite because the the Schiller color against a clear background is so beautiful and dreamy. Also, one can clean more easily. With a high quality stone especially, there is plenty enough of color to pull it off.

The necklace which I have with closed backs shows the metal color strongly through the moonstones, which also creates a lovely affect, and perhaps intensifies a misty, glowy metallic luminous look, but cleaning is a PITA.

Either would be beautiful, and create different looks.

Thanks @Bluegemz . Your description of closed vs open back is really helpful and aligns with what I'm seeing in the unset stone, so it's good to know that hopefully the personality will be the same when set. The black material behind the stone definitely made the colours show more strongly, but your description of them being dreamy with an open back is spot on - against my skin, the colours are more like a wash and it's a really magical look. I think I'm leaning towards open, to keep that ethereal look that moonstones do so well. It doesn't hurt that it's the more practical option for cleaning too!

 

[lissyflo]

So glad it went to a PSer so we can follow along it’s development! Wow it’s gorgeous!

Thanks @Hivona . I'm going to ponder over Christmas and will hopefully reach a decision and get things moving in the New Year!

 

[lissyflo]

Love, love, love rainbow moonstones. And those from Elle were the best. The liquidity of the body is to die for. And those colors. YUM! You did well! I've heard dark backs work the best to showcase the colors, so if that doesn't bother you then I'd consider something like that. Please keep us posted on your progress. This will be stunning when it's done, I'm sure!

Thanks @SparkliesLuver . Yes, I was really surprised by how transparent the stone is. The blue sheen stone looks fairly clear in real life, but the rainbow stone makes it look totally opaque in comparison. It really looks like a drop of water. I will definitely update with pictures once I've decided on a setting!

 

[lissyflo]

Oh that’s stunning!

Frozen magic dewdrop describes it perfectly. It’s such an ethereal piece.

Gorgeous! I love the colors shown in your gemstone and wish one day to own a moonstone. Good luck in choosing the perfect pendant setting for this lovely. I am sure it will be amazing.

That is beautiful!!! A nice moonstone is on my wishlist...yours is amazing.

I love rainbow moonstone and hope to have one like this at some point! That is gorgeous!!!!

Thank you! I've wanted a moonstone for ages and had been in contact with Elle previously to see if she could source anything slightly larger. There doesn't seem to be a lot of great stones out there and it's very hard to assess lots of the pictures you see online. So I decided that this size will hopefully be large enough to show the colours well - it's around 8mm by 6mm, so fairly small compared to some moonstone pieces, but I think/hope she'll make her presence felt and it's definitely interesting to look at! Plus cabs always seem larger somehow because of the 3D effect of the dome I guess.

 

[missy]

Oh I love this @lissyflo...ethereal and glowy...it's rainbowlicious. I love moonstones and you have a beautiful one there.

 

[lissyflo]

Oh I love this @lissyflo...ethereal and glowy...it's rainbowlicious. I love moonstones and you have a beautiful one there.

Thanks @missy . It’s gorgeous but a complete time waster - I’ve spent hours yesterday and today moving around the house with it, seeing how it looks in different lights and which different colours I can see. Christmas might have to be postponed in our house as I’ve been busy...

 

[T L]

Wow, that rainbow moonstone is so pretty and unique.

I’ve set several moonstones, and none of them have a backing. I find a backing is only necessary if the sheen is very faint. The negative about backing a stone in a solid piece of metal is that moisture get get under there, and your ring will grow bacteria and smell!! Do not back it, but my suggestion would be to get a setting low to the finger, that will show off the sheen better.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I have a backing for my crystal opal set by Sally at HoW, so far no funny smells lol

 

[Catmom]

Wow, what a gorgeous moonstone! I love all the colors it shows!

 

[lissyflo]

Wow, that rainbow moonstone is so pretty and unique.

I’ve set several moonstones, and none of them have a backing. I find a backing is only necessary if the sheen is very faint. The negative about backing a stone in a solid piece of metal is that moisture get get under there, and your ring will grow bacteria and smell!! Do not back it, but my suggestion would be to get a setting low to the finger, that will show off the sheen better.

Thank you - open back it is!..

 

[lissyflo]

I have a backing for my crystal opal set by Sally at HoW, so far no funny smells lol

Oooooh, pretty stone! I love the shape of it too. It looks to have a really liquid glow the picture, is it like that IRL?

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Oooooh, pretty stone! I love the shape of it too. It looks to have a really liquid glow the picture, is it like that IRL?

Yeah my partner calls it my “magic glow” ring because it looks glow in the dark lol