The Complete Moonstone Guide

Moonstone, properly cared for, may last for a lifetime, despite being somewhat brittle at times
Moonstones are somewhat delicate and care must be taken in setting them or used in rings
A clean, water-dampened cloth, containing no soaps or cleaning agents, is the best way to clean the gems

Moonstones are generally not treated

The way moonstones interact with light often reveals their most alluring characteristic: under direct (and sometimes subdued) lighting conditions moonstones exhibit a “billowy” light effect, or sheen, observed along the gems’ surface
In moonstones with a white body color, “billowy blue” colour may be seen
Moonstones may have orangy, brownish or greenish body color

The clarity of Moonstone ranges from transparent to translucent
The best moonstone has a blue sheen, perfect clarity, and is colorless

Due to their special effects (such as cat’s eye and sheen along the gem’s surface and due to their lack of clairty they are usually cut in cabochons

“As a gift for lovers the moonstone takes a high rank, for it is believed to arouse the tender passion…” George Frederick Kunz (VP Tiffany & Co.) in his book: “Curious lore of precious stones”