1. Moonstone is considered a good luck gem, especially for lovers. A gift of moonstone is said to arouse love and passion.
2. Common locations where moonstone deposits can be found include Sri Lanka, Brazil, Madagascar, India, Germany, Tanzania, Mexico, Australia, and the United States. The rarest forms come from Sri Lanka.
3. Considered the gemstone’s most captivating feature, moonstones exhibit an unearthly glow called adularescence. Caused by light scattering between microscopic layers, adularescence will allow you to see light rolling across the gemstone as you change viewing angles.
4. The name moonstone comes from the gem’s unique moon-like visual display. In fact, some people used to believe that the gemstone came from captured moonbeams that had reached earth.
5. Moonstone is credited with calming nerves, strengthening resolve, and guarding against recklessness.
6. The gemstone is typically colorless but can also be found in a variety of different colors including grey, green, peach, and blue. The finest moonstones have a colorless body and feature a blue adularescence.
7. The various moonstone colors are believed to have different meanings. Peach moonstone is believed to encourage self-value and love. Green moonstone is believed to stimulate prosperity. Blue moonstone is believed to clear one’s mind from the distractions of everyday life. White moonstone is believed to magnify emotions and drive away nightmares or insomnia. And finally, gray moonstone is believed to help one see beyond the veil.
8. One of the most well-known moonstones resides in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and weighs 107.84 carats. The gemstone was initially discovered in Tanzania in 2000 and then donated to the museum in 2012.
9. Moonstone is a variety of feldspar, which is a mineral that makes up 60% of the Earth’s crust.
10. There are several myths surrounding both moonstones and full moons. It was once believed that two people could fall passionately in love if they saw each other during a full moon while one of them was wearing a moonstone. Others believed that one could predict the future if that person placed a moonstone in his or her mouth and gazed at a full moon.