Keeping Moonstone's Glow: A Practical Care Guide

Moonstone is a feldspar, and two facts about feldspar shape all of its care: it is only 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, and it has cleavage planes, directions along which a sharp knock can split it. Treat it gently and the blue-white glow will look the same in ten years as it does on the day it arrives.

Why moonstone needs a lighter touch

The floating sheen you see, called adularescence, comes from thin alternating layers inside the stone that scatter light. Those same layers are why it is not as tough as its hardness number suggests. Pendants and earrings are the easy choice. A ring is fine if you take it off for gym work, gardening or anything that might bang the stone, and a protective bezel setting helps.

Cleaning it safely

• Use lukewarm water, a drop of mild soap and a soft brush, then rinse and pat dry with a lint-free cloth.
• Skip ultrasonic and steam cleaners. Vibration and sudden heat can open cleavage cracks.
• Keep perfume, hair spray and household cleaners off the stone. Put the jewellery on last and take it off first.

Storing it

Quartz dust and harder gems will scratch moonstone, so keep it in its own soft pouch or a lined compartment rather than loose in a box with other jewellery. Avoid leaving it on a sunny windowsill or near a heater for long periods.

Make sure it is moonstone first

Care advice is wasted on a fake. Opalite and milky glass are the usual stand-ins. Tilt the stone under a single light: in real moonstone the sheen glides across the surface as the angle changes, while glass and opalite glow evenly from every direction. A stone that is flawless, perfectly uniform and cheap all at once should make you ask more questions, and a seller should be willing to write down that it is natural and whether it has been treated.

What affects the price

The strength and colour of the sheen matter most, with a bright blue glow over a near-transparent body at the top. Body clarity, how centred the glow is in the cabochon, and size come next.

Moonstone in tradition

In South Asian astrology moonstone is linked with the Moon (Chandra) and is traditionally worn for intuition and emotional balance. These are beliefs, not promised results. If astrology is your reason for buying, settle the weight, metal and finger with your astrologer before a ring is made, since practitioners differ. Our rashi guide lists the usual pairings.

Buying with confidence

Before paying for any moonstone, confirm it is natural rather than glass or synthetic, that any treatment is written down, and that the weight given is the cut stone's. We inspect every stone for those points and photograph each separately. Browse our moonstone, or look at red agate and yellow agate for tougher everyday options. Gem names in Urdu and English are on our names page, and we deliver by Cash on Delivery to Lahore, Karachi and the rest of Pakistan.