Moonstone, A Typically Feminine Mineral

Precious and semi-precious stones have amazing powers. From ancient times to the present day, moonstone has been associated with the feminine and with the night star, for its gentleness and milky glow.

Origins, legends and benefits: set off to discover this mineral, we tell you everything.

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Origins: from fish eye to moonstone

Once known as “fish eye,” moonstone now bears a more poetic name that comes straight from the sky: it gives off the same glow as the star whose beauty it recalls. The floating, bluish sheen that glides across its surface when you turn it has a name: adularescence, caused by light scattering between the thin layers of the mineral.

It is a feldspar: in 1801, the mineralogist René Just Haüy named “orthoclase” the mineral of which it is a variety. It has also been called hecatolite, after Hecate, Greek goddess of the moon, and adularia, after Mount Adula in the St. Gotthard massif. The finest come from southwestern Sri Lanka, but they are also found in India, the United States, Madagascar, Burma, Australia, Brazil and Tanzania.

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Moonstone through the world and the ages

Many civilizations believed moonstone was born from the moon’s rays. Very early on it became a symbol of love and fertility: in the Middle East, women wore it to call motherhood to them, and it is still sacred in India today. The Greeks made it the stone of Aphrodite, goddess of love, and used it for divination.

In the Middle Ages, in the West, it was believed that lovers could glimpse their future by placing a moonstone in their mouth. And in 1970, Florida made it its official state gemstone, in tribute to the first steps of man on the Moon.

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Gentle virtues, in rhythm with the moon

Crystal healing makes it possible to take care of yourself with stones. A symbol of candor and tenderness, moonstone is the stone of the feminine. It is also said to protect night travelers and to bring determination and intuition.

How to wear moonstone

As a pendant or ring, it accompanies those who want to cultivate gentleness and intuition every day. Slipped under the pillow, it would invite dreams. And since it is the friend of night travelers, it is often tucked into a bag before a late journey.

Did you know?

Placed at the foot of trees, it would make them bear fruit. Legend has it that Pope Leo X owned a moonstone that turned from white to blue with the phases of the Moon. And feldspars of the same family make up much of the lunar highlands, the large pale areas visible to the naked eye.

⚠️ The virtues attributed to stones come from traditions and beliefs. They are not a treatment and do not replace medical advice.

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How to cleanse and recharge moonstone

• Cleanse it often so it keeps its milky shine: spring water, demineralized water or simply running water.
• Avoid salt, or use it only occasionally.
• To recharge it, leave it in moonlight for a few hours, ideally on a full-moon night.

Moonstone has no more secrets for you, but don’t stop there: discover amethyst, the stone of sobriety, or opal.

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