Over the Moonstone

Everyone is drawn to the exotic. That mysterious object that lures us in and reminds us there is more to this universe than what we busy ourselves with in our everyday life. Moonstone slips serenely into that category--as a luminous stone whose billowy light seems to follow our every gaze. There is something mysterious about the ethereal jewel and its peculiar sheen that inspires designers too.

We may not fully understand this material but---we recognize it when we see it--or do we? According to gemologist and author Renee Newman, Moonstone is not a proper mineral name. Actually this coy cutie is a feldspar mineral and "it must display that floating and shifting type of glow which is often called a sheen or billowy effect," Newman writes in her Exotic Gems Volume 1. These mesmering effects are referred to as adularescene if you're taking notes.

New? Hardly. Antique dealers may show you a treasured cameo artfully carved from a fine moonstone and made hundreds of years ago. Victorian era jewelry often featured fine moonstones as they were particularly popular with those collectors who had a yen for highly personalized jewelry.

The stone lends itself to the most contemporary settings though, evidenced by designer Vicente Agor's assymetrical and very sculptural pendant, resplendent in white sapphires and white diamonds, retailing at $1170.

Photo Courtesy: Vicente Agor