Moonstone for Savvy Folk [Gem Buyer's Guide]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มี.ค. 2021
- Love stones but have no idea where to start? Moonstone is a fantastic starting point to build connoisseurship in gemstones. This classic gem has so many qualities that are attractive and worthy of buying, so it helps you hone your eye to watch quality markers and cultivate an understanding of pricing stones.
There is also a companion article for your edutainment on the Gem Shepherd website at: gemshepherd.com/?p=686
Those looking to browse the stones available at Nazo Anna should check out Nazo Anna's video:
• Moonstone Collection N...
I am very lucky to own an almost 4-cts super-fine VVS Sri Lankan rainbow moonstone in a pear shape...it glows with blue and hints of light green...a magical gem indeed! 💗💗💗
I'm glad that you have a stone that delights you~
In Brazil labradorite, white feldspar, opal, opaline and selenite are all "moonstone" is a living hell
Brazil is an interesting one ~ another one of those awesome "we have all the gemstones" type places. That said ~ when you get to see enough known stones of these types, I think your eye will be able to pick out the differences. It should at least help you to avoid rushing in to buy things that are unworthy, and help you know when you NEED to get a lab's second opinion. Cheers Raphael,
Thx for the comment
Great video! I really appreciate that you pointed out the difference between regular moonstone (orthoclase feldspar) and rainbow moonstone/light-base labradorite (plagioclase feldspar).
Thank you ~ yah, these feldspar cousins have a lot in common, but I feel it's just like twins... they shouldn't be considered the same individual as a basic respect.
I love rainbow and blue moon stone
They are wonderful, aren't they?
I bought my very first piece of moonstone jewelry. It was made in the Victorian era and it is a solitaire cabochon with a snake like design wrapping around it. Had it on layaway for months and can't wait for it to finally arrive.
excellent~! Thats one of my favourite things about gemstones and jewelry: they can be soooo packed with meaning (and also financial value...) for such a small footprint.
Hi
WOW!!! Thank you so much for this video; Moonstone has been always my Achilles heel. In the trade, Rainbow moonstone is considered a moonstone but for some customers, armed with internet knowledge, it is not and consider it preposterous (going back to your "what is reasonable" discussion). And I absolutely loved your elimination approach... start with the lowest and then compare with the next quality/ price point. Nice Nice Nice!!!
Subscribed! Love your vibe and explanation.
Love it. Thanks for all of your information in short episodes. Don’t change a thing! You do not give me a chance to wander off into another thought, which is great. 😂 I might email you about this moonstone tomorrow. I have a few questions about it.
I'm glad you enjoy my work Stephanie ~ I look forward to the email. Keep an eye on Gemshepherd.com as it will be growing with more companion articles for the videos over time ^_^
This was a great video and very informative for anyone to help shop for any stone
Thank you Shannon - that''s the mission.
Fantastic explanation.
Thank you sir
Appreciated your explanation of “reasonable”. Makes so much sense. I always learn from your presentations. Hopefully, I’ll retain some of it! 😸. Thanks, another good one.
Adding moonstone to the list.
It's a phenomenal stone with a wide variety of qualities. Great for training a gem dealer's eye and ability to discuss value.
Very helpful series thanks
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy my work.
Thank you for this
My pleasure Sasha~
This is the kind of ring i would want for an engagement ring. 😍💗❤💗
Love me some moonstone! Great video!!
Thanks very much ~ Moonstone is a glorious thing indeed.
THANK YOU SIR
I'm glad to be of service
Great! Thank you for all your information. :o)
My pleasure~
Thanks la Loupe! Possibly a schmuck, definitely a shiksa. Saw an enticing stone today. $480 set well in sterling. No color other than grey. Large round size of my thumb. Very clear. I’d prefer white gold since I don’t want to polish.
Sheen is worth a lot in my eyes, but the heart definitely wants some colour. Grey can still have layers of complexity that I appreciate (no smut novel references here...) One thought on the sterling vs white gold - they're often both plated with rhodium to give a bright white, non-tarnishing layer. I prefer straight up bright silver personally, but thats an aesthetic preference and I'm not looking for an absence of tarnish. Silver is interesting in that... the more you wear it (not polish...), the parts of the jewelry that are in direct contact with you shine the brightest. There's something hidden in that I think. ^_^ Thanks for the comment Tina~
@@GemologyforSchmucks Thanks for such a prompt reply! I enjoyed the website. I learned a lot. The pavilion side. My grandmother’s Diamond 💍 is a miner’s cut I found out. So glad to find your information right off. I’ll do some more looking.
I greatly prefer regular white or clear moonstone with one layer of color and a nice cats eye chatoyancy. I feel there’s tons of cheap rainbow moonstone from India flooding the market and you can buy it anywhere. Plus it typically has tons of inclusions, except for the rare examples you showed.
Hi Cecily~ If you like single colour sheen, definitely look for orthoclase moonstone, rather than rainbow moonstone (transparent labradorite). Much of the cheap rainbow moonstone is cut in India because they have a well developed industry for stone cutting and low labour costs, and yes indeed it can be bought anywhere. The high transparency pieces are the ones worth collecting.
If you like cat's eye moonstone, check out the Nazo Anna video (link in the description), as there are a few pieces in the shop that may appeal to you.
Thanks for the comment~
It's funny when you showed the smaller one with less cleavadge lines in it i thought aha, yea i can see what why it's more expensive. Basicly it's part of the 4 c's you have with diamonds if im not mistaken. Cut, clarity, colour and carat. In this case the clarity is a big factor for the price. The less cleavadge lines and inclusions the higher the price.
Funny enough gem stones with inclusions like salt and peper diamonds for example look way more interesting to me then the clearest gem you can find:p.
Indeed~ beauty is not always tied to rarity. Somethings are just simply beautiful, and cheap... and thats a great thing. Other things are beautiful and rare... those are the "valuable" things. I like to have some of both XD
I miss the shop near escalator in JTC. They have very pretty moonstone.
There is a decent supply of moonstone right now ~ It's still a bit of work to find clean large sizes, but definitely some nice stones available.
Thank you thank you thank you!! Love learn from YOU. Awesome teacher!!
My pleasure to serve, Margaret. Keep your eyes peeled for more~!
Thanks for leaving your email. I may bug you in the future. My wife loves making jewelry. Mainly beading and braiding, but we both love silver and have a pretty good stockpile. Where do you recommend buying quality beads and set pieces for moonstone, and other gems? We love it, along with all other beautiful gems. You name it. I subscribed, I’ll catch up on your content. Thank you!
Please do~ welcome. If there's something specific you have in mind, send me an email with the details of what you're looking for and I can let you know what's available in the market.
I keep coming back
#gemaddiction
Sir iam from India🇮🇳 can i wear this moon ston my brth is June manth
Something that's priced in the grams is a rough gemstone or a very inexpensive CUT gemstone. HUGE info that is.
There's 5 carats in a gram. HUGE info!
I'm glad to be of service ^_^
❤
Thanks
The bigger included example of rainbow looks like typical "peristerite" rather than labradorite. It's on the sodic end of plagioclase feldspar (albite-oligoclase), most commonly with a white body colour. A bit of colour variation does happen in peristerite, however sky-blue dominates. What's the country of origin for this material?
An excellent question on the origin and I'd like to know myself. With lower price-point material, often times such information becomes shrouded in vagueness. I'll see if I can find out for you.
Interesting that you should bring up the sodic end of the feldspar spectrum. I was watching a GIA seminar on Tourmaline (Paraiba in particular) and it was interesting to hear that there are around 72 different but related tourmaline group minerals, but general gemologists aren't interested in splitting hairs unless money is involved XD
So much fantastic stuff out there still to learn eh?
I have some moonstone rough 😊😊😊 i found in beach
Blessed stones perhaps.
What's your opinion of sphene?
And pale blue tanzanite. Just stumbled upon your channel and subbed. Been a rock hound forever and wanted this side explained. ✌
Hi James~
Sphene is cool because it has such high colour-splitting dispersion. Only downside in my opinion is the softness, which makes it difficult to use in certain ring designs, as it can get scratched and abraded more quickly than some other stones. Tanzanite is a similar story - some excellent colour available, but its soft and consideration is needed in the jewelry design. Accessible price point too.
@@GemologyforSchmucks Thank you for your advice. Looks like the soft rocks I own aren't just in my head. Love your enthusiasm and accessibility
Can you please do citrine! I still confuse between actual citrine vs amethyst.
Citrine and amethyst are only different by colour. They're both crystalline quartz: violet/purple is Amethyst and citrine is the citrus yellow- to orangish colours. They can occur in the same geodes actually ~ and some amethyst can be heated and the colour may change to yellow.
Truly love all your videos. Are you living in Bangkok?
The rainbow moonstone gold ring you showed is how many carats and whats the price of the rainbow moonstone?
Hi Eddie~ i'm glad you enjoy my work. Yes~ i'm here in Bangkok. So all 3 pieces in the thumbnail pic are rainbow moonstone in different qualities and they have very different pricepoints. I believe the weight was a bit over 4 carats on the stone set in the gold ring. If you're interested in sourcing stones, then by all means get in touch with me through gemshepherd.com (click contact) and let me know what qualities and quantities you're looking for and we can go from there.
@@GemologyforSchmucks I truly enjoy your videos though your nationality for all us viewers is a bit of a mystery:). Please give me the price of 4 carat moonstone same quality as in gold ring.
Next year when coe will no more be a requirement i will drop by n say hello to you at jtc:). Im a Zoroastrian from Karachi Pakistan.
@@GemologyforSchmucks Anywhere from 4 to 6 carats pieces from 2 to 8 but quality same as in your gold ring.
Can i buy moonstone ?
Is there a place that keeps track of the price action over time for different gems?
There are some services that seek to do this, but there isn't one that is universally accepted as the market price, particularly as the quality of a coloured stone is so difficult (or even impossible) to pin in photo or video. That exponentially increases the complexity of the task of tracking prices in an info-data format. Experienced dealers can tell you about the price history (if they were willing...) of the stones and qualities they work in because their eyes and brains hold that knowledge. It's not about facts and figures. It's more about: comparably, how many of "these" stones have I seen before? Top quality 3 carat tanzanites can be had any time you turn around to sneeze (pardon, covid)
A top quality 3 carat ruby however, could be 15 years since they've seen the same or similar quality.
@@GemologyforSchmucks thank you lol. Thats good info because i was learning about tanzanite and how it skyrocketed in value due to them not being available. Government meddling or something. That period must have passed. Have you noticed that kind of thing a lot? Would it be a decent speculation to buy gems only available in countries likely to screw up availability?
Maybe my blue labradorite ring is a rainbow moonstone? I'm wearing a moonstone pendant now.
Do you see more than one unique colour in the flash? That is the question that should guide you.
I bought a loupe. It's a triplet and hard to use
Hi Janine~ Did you buy a 10x triplet, or a higher magnification? Higher magnifications can definitely be harder to use. Here's the video I made on how to use a standard loupe properly. Hopefully this will help you sort out something that might be making the process difficult or uncomfortable for you.
th-cam.com/video/mdr58NykcWk/w-d-xo.html
good noon sir cant you help me to sail my moon stone
Good afternoon from this side. It will most likely be more cost effective for you to look for a client yourself for your stone.
I absolutely love the high quality ring! is it for sale by any chance? :D
I'm not certain if it's still available, but I can check with my client and see if they've sold it already. Glad you enjoy it~
@@GemologyforSchmucks thank you!!
@@reginap.255 Here's a link to the etsy shop where the ring is sold. www.etsy.com/shop/SilverChai
@@GemologyforSchmucks thank you!
Hlo sir
I have a question unrelated to moonstone...So I just purchased I "genuine green topaz". I purchased it online and it looks gorgeous! I just hope it's real...Is there a way to tell if it is or not? Is there natural green topaz, or is it treated to make it that color? I love gemstones and jewelry, but I am not a fan of synthetics...
Hi Autumn, there's a not of sneaky wording out there. Topaz is a stone that is often coated to give it some wild colour options. "Mystic topaz" is one such coated material. The stones are earth mined, and then they're covered in stuff to make them look more attractive. I suspect that that might be what is going on if you have a strong green stone. Topaz theoretically can be green from what I hear (i've not seen any myself) though its expected to be light. If it is intense colour and it was at a good price, then i'd say its safe to assume that this is probably treated. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
@@GemologyforSchmucks I paid 80$ for a 1.3 carat stone in a sterling silver setting. It looks very beautiful, and I guess as long as its real topaz I feel better about it? Even if it is treated.
@@Sirautumnchristine sounds like good value to me, and it may be a great opportunity for you to learn. Over time, keep an eye on it and see if it changes.
I have gemestone here in the Philippines 🇵🇭 please help me to.sell this kind of stone
Those that need assistance in selling gems can approach brokers, who may accept to help them for a percentage of the selling price. Otherwise, selling gemstones for full value is the responsibility of the owner. My suggestion would be to cultivate your market locally, as that will be much more valuable for you than trying to ship internationally and juggle logistics.
Could you do a video about moissanites?
Moissanite is a synthetic stone, and I make a point of dealing with earth mined stones. What would you like to know about moissanite?
@@GemologyforSchmucks I was wondering if moissanite is found as inclusions in diamonds ,or is it found only in Kimberlite and meteriots ?
@@oakleymills4847 According to the wikipedia entry, there are instances where it has been found as an inclusion in diamonds. For the standard gemologist, we don't have conclusive information on which minerals are which inclusions. We typically are guided by the crystal shape of the inclusions, but lab gemologists have access to high tech equipment like raman spectroscopes etc that can get conclusive information about the mineral nature of the inclusions.
It's important to reiterate however that the moissanites sold for jewelry purposes are a synthetic product made in lab conditions.
@@GemologyforSchmucks thanku for the reply your the best always happy to help .
how can i sent my items in your vidio
You're welcome to visit gemshepherd.com
In aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaontario they call it a Peacoch Feldspar
Whell ~ I dare say that is mighty creative, and accurate too.
Hello sir
Hello to you aswell
Can we wear moonstone in gold
Definitely can. The colour scheme and adularescence of most moonstones plays very well with yellow gold especially.
Is it possible for moonstone to have a star effect
An excellent question!~ Yes indeed it can have asterism. There are actually some pieces out there that will have the ghostly schiller AND asterism (usually a four ray star).
@@GemologyforSchmucks I don’t know for sure but I may have one like that or at the very least some stone that has it in it. I will have to attempt to test the stone but I’m not sure what it is
@@Nothing19800 Go forward mightily and keep us posted~
It’s Quartz
@@GemologyforSchmucks do you have an email for photos??
I have moon stone gem
Excellent~ I hope you love your stone.
Are you Canadian?
I wish~ I was fortunate to go to school there for a number of years.
My moonstone has no schiller effect.
Moonstone as a mineral does not always have schiller. The structure of individual stone has to have correctly aligned inclusions to create this effect. Just like opals CAN have the play of colour effect, not all opals do.
Blablabla
Sri Lankan blue is so stunning. There's so many fakes.
Simulants are a dangerous thing indeed. The supply on moonstone in general is pretty high, so I havent seen too many compelling simulants, but it can be tough to find nice quality. Many of them have some unattractive inclusions and structural weaknesses and or a weak adularescence
3 minute intro. Yikes.
We all have room to improve, indeed Sean. Cheers
Im not a schmuck show me the real video you.
Hello sir
Hello to you aswell