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Gems, Precious Stones, Precious Metals - Moonstone Blue
Moonstone Blue - Gem Color 13 - #73A9C2
Moonstone is a sodium potassium aluminium silicate, with the chemical formula
(Na,K)AlSi
3
O
8
. Its name is derived from a visual effect, or sheen, caused by light
diffraction within a microstructure consisting of a regular succession of
feldspar layers.
Moonstone has been used in jewelry for centuries, including ancient
civilizations. The Romans admired moonstone, as they believed it was born from
solidified rays of the moon. Both the Romans and Greeks associated Moonstone
with their lunar gods and goddesses.
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.
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