Moonstone (Cat's Eye)

Orissa, India
Gems, 2.06 ct, 8.08 mm
Start Time: 06/22/2017 7:00:00 pm (CDT)
End Time: 06/29/2017 7:00:00 pm (CDT)
Auction Closed

Item Description

Moonstone (also called rainbow moonstone) is soft milky white stone, but the most valuable variety of this Feldspar is those with a rainbow sheen. Moonstone shows a silvery or bluish iridescence, that is caused by the intergrowth of two different types of Feldspar with different refractive indexes. Moonstone was very popular with the Romans, who thought it was formed out of moonlight, also used in Roman jewelry since 100 AD. In India moonstone is considered a sacred stone to this day. This stone is from India, where a large majority of the world's Moonstone is mined these days. This "Round Cabochon" cut stone is gemmy for the size, and when it's viewed through transmitted light, exhibits a beautiful slightly milky appearance, but when it is viewed by reflected light, it exhibits a decent "Cat's Eye" effect when rotated in the light, which is not terribly common for the material. The eye is best seen with a strong penlight, and even though it doesn't show up great in the photo, it's better in person.

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