Moonstone is an adularescent feldspar gem. Its sheen comes from light interacting with fine intergrown layers inside the material.
Material guide
Moonstone
You can begin before you feel fully ready.
FeldsparFacts, history & careYou choose the meaning
Digital material study. Color and surface vary by screen and by physical bead.
Fact
What it is, how it varies, and what to know before wearing it.
Moonstone is known for a floating sheen that seems to move as the stone or light changes. Body color, translucence, inclusions, and the angle of that glow can differ from bead to bead.
Body colors can include white, gray, green, peach, yellow-brown, or brown; the sheen may appear blue, silver, or white.
Material sold as “rainbow moonstone” is generally transparent labradorite, so trade names and appearance alone are not enough to establish identity.
History
How people have used it.
Moonstone became prominent in Art Nouveau jewelry. GIA names René Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany among designers who featured it; The Met preserves a Tiffany & Co. moonstone, sapphire, and platinum necklace from around 1910.
Why we chose it
What it can stand for.
HELD uses moonstone as a contemporary metaphor for transition. Its shifting sheen can remind you that the next step may look different once you take it.
Yours
“What are you willing to begin before you feel fully ready?”
Keep the answer private, name it in your bracelet story, or leave the question open until the right words arrive.
Begin with MoonstoneA starting composition
Try this five-bead beginning.
Use this sequence as a starting point. Change the rhythm, remove any bead that does not feel right, and make it yours.
Open it in the studio- Moonstone
- Moss Agate
- Clear Quartz
- Silver Spacer
- Moonstone
Care
How to care for it.
- 01Clean with warm, mild soapy water and a soft cloth only.
- 02Avoid ultrasonic cleaners, steam, high heat, and sudden temperature changes.
- 03Protect from sharp impacts; feldspar cleavage can make moonstone vulnerable even when its surface looks sound.
Sources.
Material facts and historical context are based on the sources below. Personal symbolism is identified separately so you can tell sourced information from a HELD interpretation.
- Gemological Institute of AmericaMoonstone Gem Encyclopedia↗
- Gemological Institute of AmericaMoonstone Care and Cleaning Guide↗
- The Metropolitan Museum of ArtLouis C. Tiffany Necklace with Pendant, ca. 1910↗