1.98 Ct. Moonstone from Madagascar

From a remote vein in Madagascar the story of this rainbow moonstone begins in the quiet of the earth, where layers of feldspar slowly arranged themselves over eons to trap light and memory. Our field partners carefully extracted the rough with respect for the landscape and the artisans at The Natural Gemstone Company selected a piece whose translucence hinted at something special. In its raw form the stone showed the soft internal sheen that moonstone lovers seek, a blue white adularescence that seemed to move beneath the surface as the rough was turned under daylight and lamplight. The semi transparent quality of this specimen promised a balance between a gentle inner glow and enough body to reveal subtle color. At 1.98 carat the rough retained an elegant mass of material, and the lapidary team envisioned an oval that would honor the stones natural flow and the story of where it came from.

Shaping and cutting were decisions made with intention, not haste. The dimensions 8.95 by 6.80 by 5.63 millimeters were chosen as a guide during preforming to preserve the stones depth and the path of its light. The cutter selected a mixed brilliant cut to harmonize two aims, the need to emphasize the soft, waxy adularescence that defines moonstone, and the desire to introduce lively internal reflection through brilliant facets. The mixed brilliant approach places a strategic arrangement of crown facets to catch and scatter incoming light, while the pavilion facets return that light in balanced flashes, creating both a gentle lunar sheen and moments of scintillation. Throughout the process the team preserved the stones semi transparency, avoiding aggressive faceting that would have darkened or obscured the moonlight within. The result was a finely polished surface with excellent polish, no enhancement, and a shape that respects the original character of the Madagascar material.

Looked at closely the gem reveals why the mixed brilliant cut is so fitting for this moonstone, it manages light in two complementary ways. The medium light color intensity allows the blue white adularescence to glide across the oval face without overwhelming color saturation. The very slightly included clarity evaluated at eye level means natural mineral traces remain as fingerprints of the stones formation, they do not detract from beauty and in many ways they anchor the gem to place and time. The mixed brilliant faceting amplifies internal reflection by creating multiple planes that refract and reflect light back toward the viewer, turning subtle internal sheen into a moving spectacle. In movement the moonstone alternates between a soft lunar glow and sharper pinpoints of return, a dance produced by the interplay of thin lamellar layering inside the feldspar and the carefully arranged facets on the cutters wheel. The 1.98 carat weight gives the jewel enough presence to be felt in a setting, while the proportions preserve brightness and allow light to travel within the gem rather than be absorbed.

When you hold this oval rainbow moonstone you are holding the culmination of geology and human craft, a journey from Madagascar earth to artisanal mastery at The Natural Gemstone Company. The gem sits ready to become a centerpiece, whether set in a pendant that lets light graze it with each step, or embraced by a halo that contrasts and frames its internal luminescence. The mixed brilliant cut ensures that under more intimate light the moonstone offers that private, shifting glow that has enchanted cultures for centuries, while still showing crisp reflective life when caught by brighter light. No enhancements were applied, the story you wear is honest, the character you see is the character the earth delivered. For the person who values provenance and the subtle language of light, this 8.95 by 6.80 by 5.63 millimeter, 1.98 carat oval moonstone is a reminder that beauty can be both ancient and freshly revealed, a small archive of time transformed into a jewel you can carry.