Whilst Moonstone has been used in jewellery for millennia as the Romans and Greeks admired moonstone, as they believed it was made from solidified rays of the Moon and associated moonstone with their lunar gods. Black Moonstone was more recently discovered in Madagascar. It contains white, grey, brown and tan colours running throughout almost every piece.
Moonstones are sometimes called “adularia” after Mt. Adular in Switzerland, a famous source for these gems. This mountain has also lent its name to moonstone’s characteristic, phenomenal effect. Adularescence is caused by the diffraction of light as it hits thin, alternating layers of orthoclase and albite within the gem. This produces the appearance of a floating, cloud-like, blue to white light inside the gem
Like their evocative namesake, the Moon, moonstones have inspired quite a bit of romantic lore. People have associated moonstones with fertility, love, protection, and, of course, the Moon.
A Crown Chakra crystal, Moonstone has long been the stone of love, fertility, intuition, magic, protection, hope, and spiritual purity. Moonstone calms and encourages as it teaches us the natural rhythms of life, opens the heart to empathy, and assists in the acceptance of love.
Moonstone is said to induce restful sleep, and aid in lucid dreaming.
Moonstone is said to orientated towards feminine as a stone of protection for women (especially when pregnant) and children. It has been used for centuries to enhance fertility and is believed to support all around reproductive health from easing hormonal changes to assisting in childbirth. However, it Moonstone can help men become more in-tune with the feminine aspects of their nature. It stimulates the right side of the brain to encourage nonlinear thinking and emotional balance.
Considered a stone of the goddess, Moonstone is associated with the moon, the tides. It helps sync the rhythms of lunar energy to the rhythms of a woman’s body. Black Moonstone has all of the properties of White Moonstone with an extra focus on New Moon energy.
If you are starting something new (e.g. business or relationship), black moonstone is very protective, deflecting negative energy, and transforming them back to light. More grounding than other Moonstones, it has a much gentler energy than other Root Chakra crystals like Black Tourmaline.