Ancient History Jewelry Stories - June Birthstone Stories, Moonstone

We are chugging along in June's birthstones series, with three birthstones to cover! We've gone over pearls, now it's time for moonstone.
Despite having a history that dates back to at least ancient Rome, I was unable to find any ancient examples of moonstone jewelry. The earliest examples I can find are 18th century, which leaves me wondering if there isn't potentially a huge body of older moonstone jewelry that's misidentified as the similar-looking chalcedony.
Moonstone has been associated with the moon for millenia, with many myths claiming that it is somehow a part of, or created by, the moon. Its ethereal shimmer calla to mind moonlight filtering through clouds.
Moonstone really hit its stride during the 1800s, where the ever-sentimental Victorians latched hard onto the moon symbolism, often carving moonstone into a man-on-the-moon. I find these pieces both delightful, and creepy.
Moonstone's popularity peaked again with both art nouveau and art deco jewelry, as the perfect near-colorless clear stone to suit both styles. This is probably why moonstone was chosen to add to the list of birthstones in the 1910s, as a clear gemstone that could be faceted, to match other stones in what was fast becoming very popular birthstone jewelry.
#birthstonehistory #junebirthstone #moonstonebirthstone #jewelryhistory #gemstonehistory #hecatolite #greekmythology #hecate

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Love that acorn!!