Blue moonstone, an orthoclase species of the feldspar group, is composed of two feldspar minerals, albite and orthoclase, that stack in alternating layers. Adularescence, the optical phenomenon resulting from the scattering of light as it interacts with these two different feldspar layers, occurs below the stone’s surface. When the stone is moved, the glow produced by the scattered light appears to float like the moon in the sky. Rainbow moonstone, which shows flashes of multiple colors including blue, is also part of the feldspar group but falls under the labradorite species.
Exceptional blue and rainbow moonstone were both prevalent at this year’s Tucson shows, and top designers had fashioned beautiful pieces with them. Paula Crevoshay created a bracelet with 121 moonstones flanked by 495 tiny blue sapphires (figure 1) that was as flexible and soft as a piece of fabric, allowing it to artfully showcase the movement of the adularescent glow. Erica Courtney, winner of three 2019 AGTA Spectrum Awards, exhibited a stunning moonstone necklace and pair of earrings, both featuring African Paraíba-type tourmalines (figure 2). The intense adularescence of the moonstones in these jewelry pieces is truly captivating.
Blue moonstone, an orthoclase species of the feldspar group, is composed of two feldspar minerals, albite and orthoclase, that stack in alternating layers. Adularescence, the optical phenomenon resulting from the scattering of light as it interacts with these two different feldspar layers, occurs below the stone’s surface. When the stone is moved, the glow produced by the scattered light appears to float like the moon in the sky. Rainbow moonstone, which shows flashes of multiple colors including blue, is also part of the feldspar group but falls under the labradorite species.
Exceptional blue and rainbow moonstone were both prevalent at this year’s Tucson shows, and top designers had fashioned beautiful pieces with them. Paula Crevoshay created a bracelet with 121 moonstones flanked by 495 tiny blue sapphires (figure 1) that was as flexible and soft as a piece of fabric, allowing it to artfully showcase the movement of the adularescent glow. Erica Courtney, winner of three 2019 AGTA Spectrum Awards, exhibited a stunning moonstone necklace and pair of earrings, both featuring African Paraíba-type tourmalines (figure 2). The intense adularescence of the moonstones in these jewelry pieces is truly captivating.
