Moonstone Rings

Moonstone is the adularescent variety of orthoclase feldspar. Its glow is called adularescence, a soft, billowy sheen that seems to float just below the surface and drifts as the stone moves. The effect comes from light scattering between microscopic layers inside the stone, and it shows best in a smooth, domed cabochon cut, which is why so much moonstone is cut that way.

We stock three genuinely carried grades: white moonstone, with a silvery sheen and the classic look most people picture; blue sheen moonstone, where the floating glow reads a cool, electric blue, which is the grade collectors prize most; and peach moonstone, which has a warm apricot to soft-orange body. You choose the colour on each product page where more than one is carried, and where a shape stocks only one, we set the one that is truly in stock.

No, and that is worth saying. Most coloured gems reach the market heated or irradiated, but the moonstone we set is natural and untreated, so you get the stone exactly as it came from the earth. We would rather state that plainly than let you guess, and if that ever changed for a given stone we would tell you before you bought.

It is not, and this trips a lot of buyers up. Stones sold as Rainbow Moonstone are actually white labradorite, a related but different feldspar with a flashier, multicoloured shimmer. There is nothing wrong with labradorite, but it is not true orthoclase moonstone, so we do not list it here under the moonstone name. What we call moonstone is the real thing.

Moonstone is soft for a gem, 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, and it cleaves easily, which makes it the most delicate stone we set. It can scratch and it can chip or split on a hard knock. That is why we build these rings into bezel, halo, cluster and channel settings that shelter the stone, and why we suggest taking the ring off for the gym, the garden and rough chores.

Clean it with warm water, a drop of mild soap and a soft brush, and dry it gently. Keep it well away from ultrasonic and steam cleaners, which are hard on feldspar and can worsen its cleavage. Store the ring apart from harder gems so nothing scratches it, and have the setting checked once a year so the soft stone stays secure.

Because a bezel is the kindest home for a soft, cleaving stone. A full rim of metal wraps the moonstone's vulnerable edge, takes the knocks the stone should never feel, and holds a domed cabochon securely. Halos and clusters do similar work by surrounding the center with sturdier accents. It is protection first, and it happens to frame that floating glow beautifully.

No. These are fashion rings, made for the right hand, a stack or a self purchase rather than a proposal. Moonstone is soft, so it is a poor choice for a ring worn hard every single day, but as a cocktail or occasion ring, or a gift, it is a quietly magical thing to wear.

Yes. Moonstone is one of the June birthstones, sharing the month with pearl and alexandrite. That makes one of these rings a natural June birthday gift, and its soft, luminous colour suits the occasion better than almost anything.

These calibrated moonstone ship without an individual lab report. We hand select every stone for an even, lively sheen and a clean face. If you would like a certified stone or a larger center, our concierge can source and quote one honestly.