Rainbow Moonstone, Cab or faceted?

[LC2016]

Hi all,

Im recently looking into buying a nice rainbow moonstone. However I figure the stone in the market now is a-lot different than the past, that Im mostly seeing faceted Madagascar rainbow moonstone nowadays, as oppose to the cabochon India rainbow moonstone back then.

Although the faceted stone has more play of color but I feel their sheen is not as strong as the old cabochon stone. Im not sure if this is due to the way the stone is cut or its just that India stone has stronger sheen. What do you guys think, and which one you prefer the most?

 

[fredflintstone]

Hi all,

Im recently looking into buying a nice rainbow moonstone. However I figure the stone in the market now is a-lot different than the past, that Im mostly seeing faceted Madagascar rainbow moonstone nowadays, as oppose to the cabochon India rainbow moonstone back then.

Although the faceted stone has more play of color but I feel their sheen is not as strong as the old cabochon stone. Im not sure if this is due to the way the stone is cut or its just that India stone has stronger sheen. What do you guys think, and which one you prefer the most?

In my opinion, from what I've seen in person, the faceted Rainbow Moonstones are superior in every way.

Most cabs are commercial material and even the top cab material just does not have the blaze of the faceted stones.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Not to 'splain, as you likely know, but the term "rainbow moonstone" is used pretty liberally and sometimes for different gems (labradorite vs moonstone). Maybe that explains what you are seeing?

 

[fredflintstone]

Not to 'splain, as you likely know, but the term "rainbow moonstone" is used pretty liberally and sometimes for different gems (labradorite vs moonstone). Maybe that explains what you are seeing?

Yes, Rainbow Moonstone from Madagascar is basically transparent Labradorite.

While Indian Moonstone is also a feldspar, but a different subspecies.

 

[Autumn in New England]

I'm with you, OP. Not sure if I'm just an old timer now and set in my ways, but I too prefer moonstone cabs over faceted. I think it's really just a matter of preference though, all things being equal in terms of quality.

That being said, @Crimson recently shared this 10ct. faceted rainbow moonstone, and it's... glorious.

 

[Starstruck8]

I can't comment on age or origin, because I haven't taken much notice of them. But I think that cabs are the obvious best cut for moonstone - they show the glowing moving 'eye' so that it can be seen from a fair range of angles.

I once saw a spectacularly bright and colourful faceted rainbow moonstone. But I didn't buy it. It only showed its glowing colours at just the right angle to the light. Even then, the glow competed visually with the faceting. This is a basic problem with faceted moonstone.

 

[Autumn in New England]

I can't comment on age or origin, because I haven't taken much notice of them. But I think that cabs are the obvious best cut for moonstone - they show the glowing moving 'eye' so that it can be seen from a fair range of angles.

I once saw a spectacularly bright and colourful faceted rainbow moonstone. But I didn't buy it. It only showed its glowing colours at just the right angle. Even then, the glow competed visually with the faceting. This is a basic problem with faceted moonstone.

This is what I was trying to hastily say, but you have a way of articulating it better. Exactly my feelings.

 

[LC2016]

Wow big faceted rainbow moonstone is definitely another category of its own!

I'm with you, OP. Not sure if I'm just an old timer now and set in my ways, but I too prefer moonstone cabs over faceted. I think it's really just a matter of preference though, all things being equal in terms of quality.

That being said, @Crimson recently shared this 10ct. faceted rainbow moonstone, and it's... glorious.

@Starstruck8 Yes I wholeheartedly agree with you. I feel like faceted rainbow moonstone is kind of like welo opal, where the color dances when you tilt the stone around, but they are not as strong as the Cab one.

@fredflintstone Im lucky enough to see some top quality cabochon stone, since my local jewellery retailer have good connection with the Indian dealers. They are bright and clean, like below. I missed the chance of buying this stone and have been regretting it till now.

He also show me some nice faceted stone, but I don't get a chance to see it in person, because its too expensive that they are only buying it if they can secure a customer.

 

[Crimson]

I'm with you, OP. Not sure if I'm just an old timer now and set in my ways, but I too prefer moonstone cabs over faceted. I think it's really just a matter of preference though, all things being equal in terms of quality.

That being said, @Crimson recently shared this 10ct. faceted rainbow moonstone, and it's... glorious.

Thanks, @Autumn in New England. It is a fantastic rainbow moonstone. It shows colours at every angle and It has all the colours.

 

[LC2016]

Thanks, @Autumn in New England. It is a fantastic rainbow moonstone. It shows colours at every angle and It has all the colours.

@Crimson can you share more photo of your moonstone ring plssssssss. It looks super juicy

 

[fredflintstone]

Wow big faceted rainbow moonstone is definitely another category of its own!


@Starstruck8 Yes I wholeheartedly agree with you. I feel like faceted rainbow moonstone is kind of like welo opal, where the color dances when you tilt the stone around, but they are not as strong as the Cab one.

@fredflintstone Im lucky enough to see some top quality cabochon stone, since my local jewellery retailer have good connection with the Indian dealers. They are bright and clean, like below. I missed the chance of buying this stone and have been regretting it till now.

He also show me some nice faceted stone, but I don't get a chance to see it in person, because its too expensive that they are only buying it if they can secure a customer.

It is a nice cab, but I'm sorry, I've seen quite a few of both and I will stick to my original post. The faceted material just cannot be touched in top qualities. Colors are much brighter, more vivid. The brilliance of well cut faceted material is a huge bonus over cab's as the crystal is water clear giving the stone that pop of sparkle. Faceted stones are just much brighter. This is the reason you see much more faceted Rainbow Moonstone than cab material.



We all have our preferences, and everything is subjective to a point, but it is personal preference of the individual that counts in the end, since they are the one that will be wearing the stone.

Buy what you like.

 

[fredflintstone]

One more thing, whether buying a faceted or a cabbed Rainbow Moonstone or an Opal for that fact online, never buy from pictures, always ask for a video. The only way to really see what is going on with those two stones completely.

I'm sure most of you know this, but I thought I would post it up anyway.

Really, video is the best way to see all stones. Pictures are pretty, but they don't move and by moving show dispersion, sparkle of cut, and extinction of cut.

 

[LC2016]

@fredflintstone I wish I can buy what I like but nice rainbow moonstone cab is nowhere to be found anymore, leading to more regret on the failed purchase

 

[Crimson]

@Crimson can you share more photo of your moonstone ring plssssssss. It looks super juicy

The ring isn’t mine - yet I have “visited” it a few times though.
Here are some photos, plus one of another rainbow moonstone that is beautifully set but is of the kind that @Starstruck88 mentioned.. it is lovely nonetheless especially if one likes blue.
The third moonstone ring belongs to my friend.

 

[Starstruck8]

So, for the same material, which is brighter and more colourful, faceted or cab rainbow moonstone? I can't see an obvious theoretical reason why either should be (but I may be missing something...).

Here is a rough-and-ready test. The stone is a tiny (6.1mm) high-domed cab. It's very transparent, but it has a few small fractures. Typically for rainbow moonstone, the direct adularescence is orange and the indirect colours are mainly blue. The back is not quite flat (it's a bit bulgy), but it's flat enough that the colour should be similar to what a flat facet would show.

(Top right - top colour; Lower right - base colour; Left - enlarged detail, RGB values)

I've tried to make the top and base views comparable - flashlight and camera fixed on tripods, stone in about the same position, same exposure and processing. I've tried to show the brightest reflection for each, but it's tricky to get the angle right. The orange patches are dazzlingly bright in real life - I've deliberately held the exposure back to avoid clipping. (The 'grey' patch at the right edge is white in real life.)

The outcome? The brightest parts of the dome and base adularescence are very similar. The brightest part of the dome is just a bit brighter, but that could be caused by the subtle zoning,

My conclusion (based on a sample of one!): for the same material, faceted and cabbed moonstone are about equally bright. If the faceted stones @fredflintstone mentions are brighter, it's likely because they are top quality material, not directly because they are faceted.

Here are some photos, plus one of another rainbow moonstone that is beautifully set but is of the kind that @Starstruck88 mentioned.. it is lovely nonetheless especially if one likes blue.
The third moonstone ring belongs to my friend.

@Crimson, the pics seem to be missing. And I'd love to see them...

 

[LC2016]

So, for the same material, which is brighter and more colourful, faceted or cab rainbow moonstone? I can't see an obvious theoretical reason why either should be (but I may be missing something...).

Here is a rough-and-ready test. The stone is a tiny (6.1mm) high-domed cab. It's very transparent, but it has a few small fractures. Typically for rainbow moonstone, the direct adularescence is orange and the indirect colours are mainly blue. The back is not quite flat (it's a bit bulgy), but it's flat enough that the colour should be similar to what a flat facet would show.

(Top right - top colour; Lower right - base colour; Left - enlarged detail, RGB values)

I've tried to make the top and base views comparable - flashlight and camera fixed on tripods, stone in about the same position, same exposure and processing. I've tried to show the brightest reflection for each, but it's tricky to get the angle right. The orange patches are dazzlingly bright in real life - I've deliberately held the exposure back to avoid clipping. (The 'grey' patch at the right edge is white in real life.)

The outcome? The brightest parts of the dome and base adularescence are very similar. The brightest part of the dome is just a bit brighter, but that could be caused by the subtle zoning,

My conclusion (based on a sample of one!): for the same material, faceted and cabbed moonstone are about equally bright. If the faceted stones @fredflintstone mentions are brighter, it's likely because they are top quality material, not directly because they are faceted.


@Crimson, the pics seem to be missing. And I'd love to see them...

Thats a smart way to evaluate sheen vs shape of stone. I didnt think of it! I have take a look at the stone I have on hand and it did seems the sheen is as bright when you view it from the front and end.

The only difference is, as you have said earlier, for dome shape, the light can be viewed from a wider angle, but from the flat end, the light is viewable on a very narrow angle only. Thats probably the same case for faceted moonstone.

So I guess that just matter of the stone quality, which it seems India rainbow moonstone have stronger sheen while Madagascar rainbow moonstone has better play of colour (or also better sheen as probably I havent seen the best Madagascar rainbow moonstone yet in person)

 

[fredflintstone]

@fredflintstone I wish I can buy what I like but nice rainbow moonstone cab is nowhere to be found anymore, leading to more regret on the failed purchase

It is all over the internet.

Go to Esty and type in Rainbow Moonstone on search. You will see many at all price ranges and sizes, though cabs are much scarcer. Due to the fact that color play is stronger on faceted material. If it was not, you'd see more cabs than faceted material, just like you see more Opal cabs than faceted ones. But Opal has much more diverse color play that covers a much larger area unless it is a rolling flash pattern. Top Opal has more vivid color play too. There are Opals that can sit still with color play all over the face. Not so with Rainbow Moonstone.

The color play on cabs (adularescence) shifts position on Rainbow Moonstone just like the faceted material. It moves with shifting the angle. It is not non-directional.

Indian Rainbow Moonstone is nowhere as colorful and strong as the Madagascar material. Most of all you will see is from Madagascar, though just like Welo Opal, Indian dealers have most of the selling market, but there are sellers in Thailand and Sri Lank, and America too.

Try Esty.

 

[Crimson]

@Crimson, the pics seem to be missing. And I'd love to see them...
[/QUOTE]

Apologies, @Starstruck88 and everyone, I was on a flight to London; the Wi-Fi connection was erratic.

 

[Sabina22]

@fredflintstone I wish I can buy what I like but nice rainbow moonstone cab is nowhere to be found anymore, leading to more regret on the failed purchase

Have a look at the etsy shop „MoonstoneByAkila“, Akila had some very nice moonstone cabs when I bought from him last year!

 

[LC2016]

Have a look at the etsy shop „MoonstoneByAkila“, Akila had some very nice moonstone cabs when I bought from him last year!

Thanks for the recommendation!! I have just completed my collection for the OG blue moonstone and now am going for the rainbow colour one~~


My moonstone family, the left 3 is blue “rainbow moonstone” from India and the right two is moonstone from Ceylon and Burma

 

[Sabina22]

All of them are soo pretty!

 

[fredflintstone]

Thanks for the recommendation!! I have just completed my collection for the OG blue moonstone and now am going for the rainbow colour one~~


My moonstone family, the left 3 is blue “rainbow moonstone” from India and the right two is moonstone from Ceylon and Burma

Beautiful, but those are blue moonstones, not rainbow. Not saying they are any less beautiful, but they are two separate subspecies of feldspar and rainbow moonstone has not only blue, but orange, yellow, green, violet & in some cases pink & in between colors.

 

[fredflintstone]

Just for the sake of clarity & education, this is a Rainbow Moonstone and only mined in Madagascar.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1452076461/rainbow-moonstone-aaaaaaa-grade-high?ls=s&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=rainbow+moonstone+loose&ref=sr_gallery-1-3&pro=1&content_source=b1ab33c7434f9dada1a1336b466e694cfc51b80d%253A1452076461&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=b1ab33c7434f9dada1a1336b466e694cfc51b80d%3A1452076461

 

[LC2016]

Just for the sake of clarity & education, this is a Rainbow Moonstone and only mined in Madagascar.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1452076461/rainbow-moonstone-aaaaaaa-grade-high?ls=s&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=rainbow+moonstone+loose&ref=sr_gallery-1-3&pro=1&content_source=b1ab33c7434f9dada1a1336b466e694cfc51b80d%253A1452076461&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=b1ab33c7434f9dada1a1336b466e694cfc51b80d%3A1452076461

The left three is labradorite they are just blue in color (if thats the reason why you refuse to call them rainbow)

In fact all three show other color than blue, its just blue is so predominant that you cant see the other color

Im lazy to take a close shot for all three but this is one example. The other two stone are too bright under normal lighting that it requires special light condition to show the actual color of the sheen.

The sheen for moonstone, or Orthoclase if you want to be exact (right 2) and Labradorite (left 3) is very different even if they are all blue in color. Orthoclase sheen is more 3D and subtle while Labradorite sheen is brighter but doesnt have the 3d effect.

One thing about that etsy vendor, I remeber seeing review saying their stone is vastly different in real life than photo. If you look closely at the photo, they are taken under strong colored light which makes them look more fancy.

 

[fredflintstone]

The left three is labradorite they are just blue in color (if thats the reason why you refuse to call them rainbow)

In fact all three show other color than blue, its just blue is so predominant that you cant see the other color

Im lazy to take a close shot for all three but this is one example. The other two stone are too bright under normal lighting that it requires special light condition to show the actual color of the sheen.

The sheen for moonstone, or Orthoclase if you want to be exact (right 2) and Labradorite (left 3) is very different even if they are all blue in color. Orthoclase sheen is more 3D and subtle while Labradorite sheen is brighter but doesnt have the 3d effect.

One thing about that etsy vendor, I remember seeing review saying their stone is vastly different in real life than photo. If you look closely at the photo, they are taken under strong colored light which makes them look more fancy.

I do see some green, but I'm sorry, I would not call it Rainbow Moonstone. It is beautiful. It really is!

I'm a retired gemstone dealer of 40 years of selling; I still keep up with the market and my fellow gemstone dealers I know all over the world, call it an addiction, LOL!

While Moonstone was not my main stone, I'd sale, this would fall under moonstone with blue adularescence. Some did show some hint of green to like this stone but Rainbow Moonstone it is not. Not putting it down, I think it is beautiful, but the word Rainbow means many colors, the rainbow spectrum of colors and there is only one place it is found, in Madagascar and in 2023 was the first discovery there. Orange and yellow are normally the brightest predominant colors of Rainbow Moonstone, but green and pink can be too in the rarer stones.

No special light is needed to show the multi colors of Rainbow Moonstone, it will show multi colors under LED, fluorescent and sunlight. The colors can shift a little just like Opal under different lighting and brighter in some lighting than other lighting, also intensity of light can affect the brightness, but there are always more than two colors very easily seen.

Esty is a fine place to buy, but just like anywhere else, descriptions are not always accurate.

Again, a very pretty stone.


You have a nice collection.

Love to see a video!

 

[fredflintstone]

Also, never buy any type of Moonstone or Opal online with a black background video or picture for that matter. Black backgrounds enhance the colors more vividly. Always buy from finger videos.

 

[fredflintstone]

Just a word about oversaturation with Rainbow Moonstone or for that matter any other gemstone.

The video I gave a link to above was not oversaturated. I've seen many Rainbow Moonstones with that level of saturation in real life. Over saturation makes stones look more vivid. This is done normally not by special lighting but by turning up saturation levels in camera software or even more times than not done on a computer color program once the video or picture is downloaded to the computer.

Here is a link where the Rainbow Moonstone has been greatly oversaturated. Beware of videos or pictures of Rainbow Moonstone that look like this. It has been tweaked digitally for color saturation. It will not look like this in real life. Notice instead of a regular steel color, the tweezers look very bluish. A sure give away along with the enhanced vividness of colors showing from the Rainbow Moonstone.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1853605722/super-rare-rainbow-moonstone-15-carat?ls=s&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=rainbow+moonstone+loose&ref=sr_gallery-1-12&pro=1&frs=1&content_source=6b570d6c74daeb7a985960d1ceb303ad35092aae%253A1853605722&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=6b570d6c74daeb7a985960d1ceb303ad35092aae%3A1853605722