At 4.45 carat — 4.89 ratti — this is the smallest moonstone in our collection, priced at Rs. 3,380, about Rs. 760 per carat. Its body is the warmest of the coloured stones here — a soft peach rather than a strong orange.

Peach moonstone

Peach is the pale end of the warm moonstone range, produced by fine iron-bearing inclusions scattered through the feldspar. The tone is gentle by nature; moonstone does not occur in saturated colour, and anything sold as a vivid peach or orange moonstone has almost certainly been dyed. What you should expect is a warm blush running through a translucent body, with the shimmer playing over the top of it rather than hiding it.

The colour also decides what the stone sits well against. Peach suits rose gold and warm yellow gold, where a cool grey moonstone tends to look flat; against white metal the warmth reads as cream rather than blush.

What a small moonstone is for

Small stones get written off too easily. Under five carat a moonstone is not going to deliver the slow wash of sheen you get from a fifteen carat dome, and it is honest to say so. What it does instead is fit places a large stone cannot: a pair of earrings, a side stone flanking something larger, a narrow band where a tall cabochon would look absurd, or a ring sized for a smaller hand where proportion matters more than drama.

Buying in pairs

If earrings are the plan, buy two stones together rather than one now and one later. Moonstone varies in body tone and in how strongly the shimmer shows, and matching two pieces after the fact across different parcels is genuinely difficult. We can check the remaining small stones in this collection side by side for you and say honestly how well any two of them pair.

The rate

At Rs. 760 per carat this sits near the top of our range of roughly Rs. 481 to Rs. 776 per carat, which is normal for small stones: cutting loss and handling cost do not scale down with weight, so the per-carat figure rises as the stone gets smaller. The total outlay is still modest, which is the figure that usually matters at this size.

Care

Moonstone is 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale with good cleavage. Warm water, mild soap and a soft cloth; never an ultrasonic cleaner, steam, bleach or ammonia. Small stones in earrings lead an easier life than ring stones, which is another quiet argument for this size.

Recorded as an African stone. Treatment has not been tested, which we record rather than describing the piece as untreated. Dimensions and clarity are not recorded yet — ask us and we will measure.

This particular stone

This listing is one natural moonstone with a weight of 4.45 Carat. Its price is Rs. 3,380 — roughly Rs. 760 for each carat. Origin: Africa. Treatment: treatment not tested. Quote reference GS-000425 when you message us about it. The photographs show this exact stone, so what arrives at your door is the piece you chose on screen.

Between two and six carats is the range most people choose for a gents' ring or a noticeable pendant. Here colour drives the price more than size does, which is why two stones of near-identical weight can be priced very differently.

On the Mohs scale moonstone rates 6 to 6.5. That is middle-of-the-road hardness: comfortable in pendants and earrings, and in rings worn with some care. Store it apart from harder stones so it does not pick up scratches, and wipe it with a damp cloth rather than scrubbing.

Whoever you buy moonstone from, make sure of three things: the stone is natural rather than lab-grown, glass or glass-filled; any treatment is stated in writing; and the weight quoted is the weight of the finished stone. We check every moonstone for those three points before it is listed, a certificate is available on request, and because you pay on delivery you can look at the stone — or have it tested — before any money changes hands.

We sell natural stones only and inspect each one before it is listed. Treatment for this stone: Treatment not tested. Certificate available on request. As general background (not a statement about this stone): Moonstone is usually untreated. Ask us on WhatsApp and we will tell you what we know about this exact stone; independent lab testing is available on request.

A certificate of authenticity is available on request for this stone, and independent laboratory testing can be arranged. Because you pay on delivery, you can also take the stone to a lab of your choice within the 7-day return window. Read more on our authenticity page.