Moonstone is a type of translucent feldspar which is named for the bluish white shimmer it exhibits, known to gemologists as adularescence. It can be white, grey, pink, orange, yellow, green, or mocha brown; more rarely, it can be champagne brown, peach, blue, red, or black.
It has a Mohs hardness of 6 to 6.5 and a monoclinic crystal structure.
It is the alternate birthstone for April (the main one being pearl).
Locations: Most moonstone comes from India and Sri Lanka, but there are also deposits in Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Myanmar (Burma), Madagascar, Mexico, Norway, Switzerland, Tanzania, and the United States. The most valuable moonstone mostly comes from Sri Lanka, and India is known for rainbow moonstone.
Properties: Moonstone can enhance intuition, promote non-linear thinking, and balance emotions. It is a stone of feminine energy and, unsurprisingly, has strong associations with the moon. It reminds the wearer to be mindful of cycles, and has a resonance with the third eye chakra and crown chakra (perception and connecting to the divine respectively). It is useful in exploring one’s subconscious or hidden personal truths, and has the ability to facilitate past-life regression sessions.
It may have the effect of helping to stabilize female hormonal cycles and balance water retention.
In addition to these general properties, each color has its own additional characteristics:
Grey moonstone helps one see the unseen and can facilitate shamanic or clairvoyant travel into other levels of reality. It magnifies intention and aids in manifestation.
Peach moonstone promotes positive perception, soothes anxiety, and provides emotional support while stimulating the mind.
White moonstone enhances psychic perception and amplifies emotions.
Rainbow moonstone clears the senses and calms the mind to allow joy into the wearer. It is good for psychic protection and can ease emotional trauma. Much as how a prism refracts light into many colors, rainbow moonstone can help to activate and align all the chakras by refracting energies into those needed at each level.
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