Tilt your hand and a blue-white sheen slides across the stone, then fades. That movement is what a moonstone ring is all about: milky and quiet when still, lit up the moment you move.
Diana, Selene, chandrakanta: one stone, many names
Since ancient times, moonstone has been tied to the moon. The Romans thought its glow was a captured moonbeam and linked it to Diana. The Greeks connected it with Selene, the moon of the poets, who also gave her name to our Selene ring. In India it's called chandrakanta, "beloved of the moon", and it's a classic gift between lovers. Moonstone stands for the feminine, intuition and cycles: everything that waxes, wanes and begins again.
That moving glow is called adularescence
Moonstone is a feldspar, not a quartz. It's made of very thin alternating layers that scatter the light. The thinner the layers, the bluer the sheen; the thicker they are, the whiter it looks. That's why no two moonstones are quite alike, and why a domed, polished cabochon cut shows it off so well. It's a little softer than quartz (6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale) and doesn't like knocks, so keep it apart from harder stones, in its linen pouch.
Adjustable or made to your size?
Buying a gift and don't know the ring size? Go for an adjustable design: Soul Clarity with its twisted band, Phoebe with its 10 x 14 mm cabochon, Selene in 925 silver, or Kirana, also in 925 silver, with white zircons either side of the moonstone. If you love vintage-style jewelry, Intuitive Moon (925 silver) and Presage (antiqued silver) are made in your size, from 6 to 10, which is a finger circumference of 52 to 62 mm.
Match it with a moonstone bracelet, browse all our moonstone jewelry, or read our moonstone guide.
