Moonstone Jewelry

Moonstone is the feldspar that carries light the way the moon carries it — not in a sparkle but in a glow. The effect is called adularescence: a soft billow of light, usually blue or white, that seems to float just under the stone's surface and roll across it as the piece moves. It is produced by the stone's layered structure, and it made moonstone one of the beloved stones of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when jewelers set it in silver and let its own light do the work.

The most prized moonstone came from Ceylon — Sri Lanka — where the finest stones show a clear body and a strong blue sheen. Victorian and Edwardian jewelers used it for exactly the celestial jewelry the era loved: crescent brooches with graduated stones rising to the horns, festoon necklaces with moonstone fringes, and pendants where a single cabochon hung like the full moon. In Germany, the Jugendstil movement — its Art Nouveau — made graduated moonstone link bracelets and brooches a specialty, usually in the 800 and 835 silver standards of the continent.

Celestial jewelry gives moonstone its favorite settings. The crescent moon, often paired with a star, was one of the great motifs of the late Victorian years — worn for the feminine, the romantic, and the night sky generally — and moonstone, the stone named for the moon itself, was its natural material. A graduated crescent brooch, its stones swelling toward the center and narrowing to the points, is moonstone jewelry at its most characteristic, and the Ceylon stones in the brooch in this collection show why the combination endured.

Moonstone is moderately hard — about six on the Mohs scale — so antique pieces should be worn with a little care and cleaned with nothing harsher than warm water and a soft cloth. At Royal Regency, moonstone pieces are described as their stones present: Ceylon stones named where the record supports them, and the related feldspar sold as rainbow moonstone named as such, so the glow you see described is the glow the stone actually carries.

Frequently asked questions

What is adularescence? It is the floating glow seen in moonstone — a billow of light, usually blue or white, that rolls across the stone as it moves. Layers within the feldspar scatter the light, so the glow seems to come from inside the stone rather than reflect off its surface.

What is Ceylon moonstone? Moonstone from Ceylon, modern Sri Lanka — historically the source of the finest material, with a clear, nearly colorless body and a strong blue sheen. Victorian and Edwardian jewelers prized it, and Ceylon stones anchor most of the best antique moonstone jewelry.

What is the difference between moonstone and rainbow moonstone? Rainbow moonstone is the trade name for a related feldspar — a white labradorite — that flashes blue and sometimes a spectrum of color. It is beautiful in its own right and widely set in modern silver jewelry, but it is not classic moonstone, and honest listings name it as rainbow moonstone, as ours do.

Why do antique moonstone pieces feature crescent moons? The crescent was one of the great late Victorian motifs, standing for the moon, the feminine, and romance — and moonstone was its natural stone. Crescent brooches graduated their stones from the points to the center, so the jewel itself drew the moon's curve in glowing cabochons.

How hard is moonstone? Can it be worn every day? Moonstone sits around six to six and a half on the Mohs scale — softer than quartz — so it rewards gentle wear. Rings and bracelets pick up knocks over years; brooches and pendants are kinder settings. Clean with warm water and a soft cloth only.

From Our Archive

The pieces below have already been sold through Royal Regency. We keep them here as a record of the jewelry we handle — each one researched and checked before it was offered, in the same way as everything in this collection.

A sterling silver moonstone festoon necklace, Edwardian style. Swagged chains suspend a fringe of moonstones, each stone glowing as it turns — the finest moonstone piece to pass through the shop. Sold through our Whatnot showroom.

A chunky faceted moonstone cuff bracelet in 925 silver. Big faceted moonstones in a heavy silver cuff — moonstone in its modern, sculptural voice. Sold through our Whatnot showroom.

A Jugendstil graduated moonstone link bracelet in 850 silver, circa 1900. Graduated moonstones linked in the German Art Nouveau manner — the stone Germany's jewelers loved most, in a bracelet of its own period. Sold through our Whatnot showroom.

A sterling loupe pendant with a carved moonstone moon face. The moon's face carved in the stone itself, set in a working loupe pendant — a jeweler's tool and a jewel in one. Sold through our Whatnot showroom.

A signed sterling and rainbow moonstone bracelet. Rainbow moonstones along the wrist, their blue flashes answering the light at every link. Sold through our Whatnot showroom.