Moonstone is an orthoclase feldspar which is used for making porcelain and scouring powder. It comes in a range of colours: white, grey, yellow red and blue.

When it is pearly or opalescent it is called moonstone and the most sought after have a beautiful blue sheen. It can also show a cat’s eye or star effect found in some stones.

Part of its mystery is the belief that it helps some people to see the future. Lovers could put the stone under their tongues and tell what their relationship would be like in the future.

Supposedly it is a beneficial stone for women , helping in the menopause time. It is the blue moonstone which seems to have all of the qualities of the other colours. Its lore is closely associated with the moon.

It was given the name moonstone as it often resembles moonlight. Moonstone is best cut into cabochons rather than facets. When you turn moonstone around you get a play of light which gemologists call adularescence. The feldspar variety that it comes from is called adularia.

The blue stone is almost exclusively found in Sri Lanka but this source is almost depleted which makes the stone even more expensive.

Although the source of the blue moonstone is depleted there are still other colours which are plentiful and still being mined. There is the silver-white moonstone as well as the rainbow moonstone which are well priced in most people’s reach.

It is a relatively soft stone coming in a 6 on the Mohs’ scale and so will mark and be easily damaged but similar to opal to can be repolished and repaired. It makes enchanting jewellery and looks superb with diamond accents