Blue Moonstone

Moonstone is a beloved gem for its mystical lunar glow. While typically known for white and peach varieties, moonstone also occurs in beautiful shades of blue. From transparent baby blues to inky midnight hues, the diverse colors of blue moonstone span a wide spectrum.

Varieties and Colors of Moonstone

The most valued moonstone exhibits transparency with a strong bluish adularescence, an optical phenomenon causing a billowy schiller. The top color is a transparent baby blue with a blue flash.

Burmese Moonstone is the famed blue-sheen moonstone that comes from Mogok. Completely transparent stones exhibiting a glowing blue schiller are rare and costly. These rank among the most expensive moonstones.

Range of Blue Hues

Moonstone is a gemstone that appears in a range of blue hues, from pale sky-blue to deep navy. The body color is typically light, but inclusions can create darker shades. Some of the most common color variations include:

1. Sky Blue: Translucent, pale blue with hints of peach.
2. Blue-Green: Faint bluish-green shimmer.
3. Blue Flash: Transparent stones that exhibit predominantly blue adularia.
4. Navy Blue: Dense inclusions that appear deep blue or purple.

The vividness of color and the extent of transparency greatly affect moonstone value. While still prized in jewelry, opaque stones are less valuable than translucent moonstones exhibiting adularescence.

Of all varieties, transparent blue moonstone with a strong blue schiller commands the highest prices.

Valuing Blue Moonstone: Price Per Carat Insights

Renowned for its ethereal blue schiller, blue moonstone commands high costs, especially for fine-quality gemstones. When appraising a blue moonstone, expert gemologists consider several criteria to evaluate the stone’s value.

Optical Phenomenon

The most important factor is the strength and color of adularescence, the light billowing across the gem.

Powerful blue schiller increases value. Weak or primarily white adularescence is less valuable.

Quality Attributes

Clarity, transparency, color depth, and cut quality also impact price per carat.

• Transparent gemstones with a blue hue are the most rare and expensive
• Translucent sky blue stones are common with moderate value
• Opaque Navy Blue has a lower cost

The durability of moonstones is assessed by the absence of fractures.

In our jewelry store, vividcarat.com, you can choose a moonstone of different shades, origins, and properties. Browse the whole catalog of gemstones available in stock to choose the best option to suit your needs.

Carat Weight

With rising weight, the blue moonstone value can climb exponentially.

• 1-2 carats – $50-100/carat
• 2-5 carats – $100-200/carat
• 5+ carats – Over $200-300/carat

Larger clean stones with vivid blue schiller can search prices for over $1,000/carat.

Fine blue moonstone over 5 carats exceeds $500/carat and investment-grade stones can be valued in the thousands per carat in New York City.

Mining Locations and Methods of Moonstone Extraction

The journey from rough stone to polished gem often spans continents.

Fine blue moonstone is primarily sourced from alluvial deposits in Sri Lanka and Myanmar. Mining location influences value based on the quality of color and clarity. Environmental impacts also differ greatly depending on the methods used.

Sri Lanka

Local miners mine small-scale deposits by hand, using traditional methods handed down through generations. These cottage industries provide income while minimizing environmental damage.

The stones exhibit a range of shades of blue with flashes of white.

Myanmar

The prized transparent blue moonstone of Myanmar occurs in mineral-rich Mogok. Complex mining operations run by private firms yield exceptional-grade gems but lack regulation.

Explosives and heavy machinery denude land and disrupt ecosystems. However, the region produces the world's finest blue-sheen moonstone.

Alternative Sources

Deposits exist in India, Australia, Brazil, and the U.S., but material lacks the quality and blue adularescence of Sri Lankan and Burmese goods. With concerns over mining impacts, jewelers increasingly source moonstones from these locations even if the value is lower.

• India- Stones have opaque white sheen
• Australia- Sky blue moonstones with slight schiller
• Brazil- Translucent grayish-blue
• S. – Very few deposits; brown and green tinges

The choice between ethics and aesthetics remains complex in moonstone sourcing. Conscientious jewelers prioritize fair trade gems while educating consumers on tradeoffs between environmental impacts and gem quality attributes.

Chemical Composition and Enhancements

The mesmerizing glow of blue moonstone originates from its unique chemical structure and optical phenomena. While treatments can enhance color, uncovering a stone’s true nature is key for value assessment.

Chemical Composition

Moonstone is composed of sodium potassium aluminum silicate, belonging to the feldspar mineral group. It has 6-7 points on the Mohs scale. The moonstone’s hardness makes it suitable for cabochons and jewelry.

• Sodium ions produce blue and yellow flashes
• Trace elements influence body color like iron (blue) or manganese (peach)
• Refractive qualities create adularescence

This chemical makeup underlies the moonstone’s magical essence.

Due to the excellent durability of moonstones, our jewelry store (vividcarat.com) offers a wide range of jewelry items with these stones, including earrings, necklaces, pendants, and other jewelry pieces. We work in New York City and can provide either loose gemstones or complete jewelry pieces with desired moonstone inclusions.

Optical Phenomena of Moonstone

Light entering the moonstone is scattered by layers of aluminum silicate. As rays reflect off sodium ions, the trademark sheen effect or schiller shimmers across the surface. This optical event is called adularescence.

• Blue adularescence is considered the most valuable and rare outcome
• The strength of the schiller impacts prices per carat

Treatments

To improve color and adularescence, most moonstones undergo irradiation or heat treatment. These are stable enhancements, but important for disclosure.

• Irradiation turns brown stones blue by altering the chemical structure
• Heating clears discoloration and intensifies sheen
• Dye infusions and fracture-filling occur, requiring testing to identify

Asking for laboratory reports ensures the genuine and ethical supply of goods and understanding of any treatments administered. This builds confidence in purchasing. Distinguishing between natural qualities and human interventions maintains the blue moonstone's beauty, but also ensures honesty.

Navigating the Blue Moonstone Market in New York City

As demand rises for fine blue moonstones, certification plays a key role in appraising quality and protecting value for jewelry buyers and gemstone investors.

Trust Through Certification

Faceted blue moonstones over 1 carat should have an accompanying gemological lab report from GIA, AGS, or GGL that verifies carat weight, enhancements, and quality grade based on the 4Cs:

• Cut
• Color
• Clarity
• Carats

Reports confirm that claims match the physical properties of your moonstone. Know whether the stone is natural or treated to make an informed decision.

Investment Outlook

With new deposits unearthed and moonstones gaining notoriety as the next big gem, certified blue moonstones, in particular, may appreciate over time.

• Demand for blue adularescence expected to intensify
• Gain 10-15% annually if high quality, untreated, 1 carat+
• Larger certified stones with top ratings offer the best value

Buy what you love first and foremost. An eye-clean stone with vibrant blue schiller will dazzle for decades even without price gains.

Verify Then Invest

Seeking third-party certification assists investors and buyers in avoiding fraud. Certification provides transparency around quality and disclosure, fostering trust as we appreciate the celestial beauty of blue moonstones.

Our jewelry store in New York City offers a wide selection of moonstones. You can view the entire list of available gemstones on our website, vividcarat.com. We have a variety of loose gemstones and jewelry pieces, including rings, necklaces, and earrings that are set with precious stones. Additionally, you can order unique designs of custom jewelry with any stones to suit your preferences.