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What to look for in quality blue moonstone?

baby nurse

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The cab I'm considering has lovely clarity, but the blue adularescence (?) only covers about 1/2 of the top of the stone when looking at it face up. The rest is clear-- should I be looking for one with a larger section of blue? I picked one up last year and while it does have some inclusions, the blue can be seen throughout... I think both of these stones are from Sri Lanka.

I'm sorry, I have no pics :confused:
 

minousbijoux

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Is it really that only half the stone has the adularescence, or is it that phenomenon of light blocking an oval shape - in other words, if you turn the stone around (the end that was facing away from you now facing towards you), do you see the exact same thing?
 

baby nurse

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It really is only about half the stone. The blue is very pretty and isn't so vivid that it's really obvious that half is clear and only half is blue, but I thought that a higher quality stone might have blue that is more evenly distributed through the stone.

Thanks minou!
 

fzpanda

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I am also a keen collector of moonstones. The blue schiller of moonstones typically will move around as you rotate the stone, but for the best quality moonstones, the blue sheen should cover a large portion of the stone. And ideally the blue schiller should be 3 dimensional, e.g cover the entire stone from top to bottom and left to right.

Keep in mind though, under different lighting, the hue of the blue sheen will change. My experiences have been that under torch light, the blue color will appear more washed out. In addition, for moonstones with more transparent base, the blue schiller needs to be extra strong in order to be visible.
 

fzpanda

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I am attaching some pics of a large moonstone bead bracelet of mine to demonstrate what I meant by the 3 dimensional schiller effect

mn1.jpg

mn2.jpg
 

chrono

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The bigger the area of the blue, the more desired it is. The same goes for the depth of the blue colour. Of course, how much of the blue can be seen also sometimes depends on the shape.

Moonstone-006.jpg
 

baby nurse

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fzpanda|1315799834|3015579 said:
I am also a keen collector of moonstones. The blue schiller of moonstones typically will move around as you rotate the stone, but for the best quality moonstones, the blue sheen should cover a large portion of the stone. And ideally the blue schiller should be 3 dimensional, e.g cover the entire stone from top to bottom and left to right.

Keep in mind though, under different lighting, the hue of the blue sheen will change. My experiences have been that under torch light, the blue color will appear more washed out. In addition, for moonstones with more transparent base, the blue schiller needs to be extra strong in order to be visible.

Thank you, fzpanda. I suspected more blue should be visible. Although the blue of this stone is a beautiful shade, the fact that there isn't much of it will likely bug me. I will probably return the stone.

Thank you for sharing your pictures. You have a lovely collection! Is the piece in your avatar also yours? In any case, it's beautiful!
 

baby nurse

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Chrono|1315830561|3015674 said:
The bigger the area of the blue, the more desired it is. The same goes for the depth of the blue colour. Of course, how much of the blue can be seen also sometimes depends on the shape.

Thanks for the information, Chrono. Those are some beautiful stones. The stone that I have is on a black background in its case, which of course makes the blue more apparent. Are moonstones set with some sort of dark backing also to emphasize the color? When I remove the stone from its case it gets a little washed out.

When I posted pics of the one I got from Barry last year, I think you were looking for one. Did you find a moonstone?
 

chrono

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Correct; sometimes, moonstones are set with a backing to further enhance the blue sheen.

Thank you for asking. I purchased a pair of Ben Kho moonstone earrings and just bought a faceted rainbow moonstone a few weeks ago.
 

baby nurse

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They sound lovely! Did you happen to get your rainbow moonstone from the Gemtrader? He had a beautiful one last month.
 

chrono

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baby nurse|1315835204|3015709 said:
They sound lovely! Did you happen to get your rainbow moonstone from the Gemtrader? He had a beautiful one last month.

Oh yes, that was me. ;)) It is incredibly challenging to photograph though!
 

fzpanda

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baby nurse|1315834001|3015698 said:
fzpanda|1315799834|3015579 said:
Is the piece in your avatar also yours? In any case, it's beautiful!

Thanks,baby nurse. Yes, it is my newly acquired moonstone pendant. Took me quite a few years to get a flawless moonstone that is >30cts and have the 3d schiller effect that I was looking for... I think you are correct about the black background makes moonstones' blue more visible, especially for highly transparent moonstones. That's why I prefer a medium-blue color (not too whitish though) for moonstones, because deep-blue moonstones typically have weak presence of the sheen, whereas medium-blue moonstones usually have much stronger glows both with and without a black background...

Rainbow moonstones , in my opinions are perhaps more beautiful than blue moonstones. But large clean rainbow moonstones are extremely difficult to come by.... And I haven't been able to find a gem-grade rainbow moonstone that is larger than even 10CTs
 

baby nurse

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Oh my gosh, fzpanda! Your pendant is so beautiful :love: :love: ! I'm guessing you found the moonstone already set in this pendant? What a treasure!

Well, I returned the moonstone I had been considering. It really was lovely but I think eventually I will find something that I'm really delighted with.
 

Pandora II

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Rainbow moonstones are actually a type of labradorite rather than an orthoclase feldspar which is what moonstone is.

The best ones I have that I bought directly from the mine in Sri Lanka where the top blues come from are totally crystal clear with no inclusions at all and with a very strong blue schiller over the whole stone. Mine are relatively small - biggest is 7cts.

Richard Wise had some beauties on his site a while ago - here's one... it was around $3k if I remember correctly:

http://www.rwwise.com/products/id%7C1611
 

fzpanda

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Yeah, I bought it after it was set. I think as long as you are being patient, you will eventually find the moonstone that will truly make your heart sing :)
 

fzpanda

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Yep, most rainbow moonstones are actually labs. I just learned about that not too long ago...But they are still very beautiful in my opinion. As for me, I prefer those rainbow moonstones that have yellow, blue, and green (sometimes also a hint of red). Kind of like opal, but a lot more sturdy than opal..


Pandora|1315951730|3016816 said:
Rainbow moonstones are actually a type of labradorite rather than an orthoclase feldspar which is what moonstone is.

The best ones I have that I bought directly from the mine in Sri Lanka where the top blues come from are totally crystal clear with no inclusions at all and with a very strong blue schiller over the whole stone. Mine are relatively small - biggest is 7cts.

Richard Wise had some beauties on his site a while ago - here's one... it was around $3k if I remember correctly:

http://www.rwwise.com/products/id%7C1611
 

petit_bijou

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fzpanda|1315966164|3017039 said:
rainbow moonstone

That is so neat!!! I love it.
 

chrono

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fzpanda,
Your collection of moonstones are jawdropping gorgeous. I hope you'll start a new thread on your amazing collection.

I have yet to attempt to photograph my rainbow moonstone (labradorite) because my camera cannot capture the amazing colour play. Sometimes I also wonder if it's better for such a stone to remain a cabochon or to be faceted...

Aug11RMoonstone.gif
 

fzpanda

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Chrono, this faceted moonstone is absolutely stunning! And from the picture, it seems pretty large too. I sometimes also wonder if I should facet my moonstone cabs, but always decided to leave them as they are, because I personally prefer the softer feeling for moonstones. Among all shapes, I actually like spherical moonstone beads the most. Those are more popular in Asia than in the U.S., and they make gorgeous necklaces, goes perfectly with a black nightgown

Chrono|1316001928|3017211 said:
fzpanda,
Your collection of moonstones are jawdropping gorgeous. I hope you'll start a new thread on your amazing collection.

I have yet to attempt to photograph my rainbow moonstone (labradorite) because my camera cannot capture the amazing colour play. Sometimes I also wonder if it's better for such a stone to remain a cabochon or to be faceted...
 

chrono

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fzpanda,
It's not a big stone at all, merely 3.3 carats. I have not found high quality rainbow moonstones in sizes above 5 carats. Where does one shop for such spherical moonstones? It'll be great to have a necklace + bracelet set. Seriously, you MUST start a new thread on your moonstones.
 

baby nurse

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Pandora|1315951730|3016816 said:
Rainbow moonstones are actually a type of labradorite rather than an orthoclase feldspar which is what moonstone is.

The best ones I have that I bought directly from the mine in Sri Lanka where the top blues come from are totally crystal clear with no inclusions at all and with a very strong blue schiller over the whole stone. Mine are relatively small - biggest is 7cts.

Richard Wise had some beauties on his site a while ago - here's one... it was around $3k if I remember correctly:

http://www.rwwise.com/products/id%7C1611

Thank you, Pandora. Are rainbow moonstones (labradorite) and moonstone (orthoclase feldspar) the same hardness on the mohs scale?

The moonstones Richard Wise had are fabulous! While I would love to own one like this some day, just being able to see one in person would be great :twirl: !
 

baby nurse

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Fzpanda, my jaw dropped open when I saw your rainbow moonstone :love: :love: ! I really had no idea they could be so beautiful! What size is this stone, and did you buy it in the US? It would be such a treat if you started a thread on your moonstones!
 

blithesome71

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Hi guys, I hope it's ok to chime in...
I just thought these might be interesting (found 'em while browsing the net for a sillimanite :twirl: )

7.65_BlueMoonStone.jpg

R_Moonstone.jpg
 

Barrett

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Panda does have some nice moonstones
 

Fly Girl

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I got this rainbow moonstone some time back from Brad at The Gem Trader, and finally had it set into a pendant with my rainbow Sea of Cortez pearl. I love the color play of the moonstone, as well as the pearl.

Moonstone Pendant with Pearl.jpg

Sea of Cortez with Moonstone1000.jpg

Sea of Cortez with Moonstone_0940.jpg
 

chrono

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FlyGirl,
What is the mm size of your rainbow moonstone? Did you consider adding a backing of some sort to highlight the colour play of your moonstone? I am also thinking of bezeling my rainbow moonstone as a pendant with some sort of halo-like melees surrounding it, or having some floral design around it.
 

Fly Girl

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Chrono|1316174233|3018751 said:
FlyGirl,
What is the mm size of your rainbow moonstone? Did you consider adding a backing of some sort to highlight the colour play of your moonstone? I am also thinking of bezeling my rainbow moonstone as a pendant with some sort of halo-like melees surrounding it, or having some floral design around it.
The rainbow moonstone is about 5 mm. I never considered a backing for this stone. I was looking through my collection of loose stones to see what might work as an accent stone for this pearl, and I'm rather pleased that the subtle colors of the moonstone don't over power the delicate colors of the pearl. In real life, they work quite well together.

I do play around with backings when I set my cabochons to see what works the best. It can make quite a difference in color, as I'm sure you know.
 

Zzz

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fzpanda, the moonstones bead bracelet looks really beautiful! :love: love the blue shiller!
what's the size of your beads? i've only seen small moonstones beads and they aren't half as nice :((
can i ask where you got yours from?

fzpanda|1315800092|3015581 said:
I am attaching some pics of a large moonstone bead bracelet of mine to demonstrate what I meant by the 3 dimensional schiller effect
 

fzpanda

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baby nurse|1316095682|3018154 said:
Fzpanda, my jaw dropped open when I saw your rainbow moonstone :love: :love: ! I really had no idea they could be so beautiful! What size is this stone, and did you buy it in the US? It would be such a treat if you started a thread on your moonstones!
Baby nurse, this particular stone is 7 Cts.
 
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