Moonstone (gemstone)
| Moonstone | |
|---|---|
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| General | |
| Category | Feldspar variety |
| Identification | |
| Color | Can be numerous colors, including blue, grey, white, pink, green and brown |
| Fracture | uneven to conchoidal |
| Mohs scale hardness | 6.0 |
| Luster | Opalescent |
| Streak | white |
| Specific gravity | 2.61 |
Moonstone is a sodium potassium aluminium silicate, with the chemical formula (Na,K)AlSi3O8.
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[edit] Etymology
Its name is derived from a visual effect, or sheen, caused by light reflecting internally in the moonstone from layer inclusion of different feldspars.
[edit] History
Moonstone has been used as jewelry for centuries, including ancient civilizations. The Romans admired moonstone, as they believed it was born from solidified rays of the moon.[1] Both the Romans and Greeks associated Moonstone with their lunar gods and goddesses.
[edit] Geology
The most common moonstone is of the mineral adularia. The plagioclase feldspar oligoclase also produces moonstone specimens. Moonstone is feldspar with a pearly and opalescent luster.[2] An alternate name is hecatolite.[2]
[edit] Formation
Moonstone is composed of two feldspar species, orthoclase and albite. The two species are intermingled. Then, as the newly formed mineral cools, the intergrowth of orthoclase and albite separates into stacked, alternating layers. When light falls between these thin, flat layers, it scatters in many directions producing the phenomenon called adularescence.
[edit] Occurrence
Deposits of moonstone occur in Australia, the Austrian Alps, Mexico, Madagascar, Burma, Norway, Poland, Sri Lanka[3] and the United States.[2]
It is currently the state gem for Florida.[4]
[edit] References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Moonstone |
- ^ "Moonstone" American Gem Trade Association. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
- ^ a b c http://www.mindat.org/min-2774.html Mindat.org
- ^ "Moonstone" Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 20 Jan. 2011.
- ^ "Moonstone - Florida State Symbols". Florida Division of Historical Resource. http://www.flheritage.com/kids/symbol.cfm?id=17. Retrieved 1 Sep 2011.
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