I have always had a fascination with moonstones. And really who wouldn’t? Moonstones have a mystical name--moonstone. Which is probably why the Victorian author, Willkie Collins named his popular Gothic mystery novel “The Moonstone”. Although after investing my money in a copy of this novel I was sorry to find out it was a mystery centering on a diamond, named the moonstone. I wanted to know why it wasn’t a moonstone named a moonstone and was very put out. As a result of his duplicity, I have yet to read said novel although I have heard it was very good. But really why did he mislead me?
Anyway inspired by these three pieces I decide to explore the myths and legends surrounding the real moonstone.
It is a diamond in the rough so to speak, a rarity among common rocks. It is a member of the feldspar family, which composes 2/3 of all the rocks in the entire world. But unlike its sister rocks it is very rare and extraordinarily beautiful.
Where does the beauty come from I ask. A lot of it comes from a quality called "adularisation" which is an exquisite shimmer that is caused by the lamella inner construction of the gemstone causing incident light rays to refract and scatter in the stone. Which is all to say that this fantastic, almost transparent stone has a wonderful shimmer and sheen as light plays across its surface and from within. It is a thing that cannot really be described but must be seen.
The moonstone was named by the Romans, who believed, it had the ability to reflect light. In India they believed it was a sacred stone, holy and magical and they believed it could bring the wearer beautiful visions.
Other ancients believed if you held it in your mouth you could tell the future and others still believe you could see in it the crescent and waning phases of the moon.
It has also been said at various times to bring good fortune, to protect women and children who are generally under the protection of the moon, enhance passion, balance yin and yang and strengthen emotional and subconscious aspects, our intuition and our capacity to understand.
It is also said to be the lover's stone because it evokes tender feelings and safeguards the true joys of love.
All of these layers of meaning are fantastic but I cannot get over the most fantastic thing of all and that is the visual beauty of the moonstone. It is a beauty that fascinated the famous Art Nouveau French Master Lalique who featured it prominently in many of his most beautiful pieces.
And it is a beauty that has fascinated people for countless centuries as each generation discovered a new way to set, wear and enjoy these fantastic pieces.
