20.23 Ct. Cabochon Moonstone from Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

This translucent 20.23 carat oval moonstone presents refined proportions and optical clarity, offered by The Natural Gemstone Company. The gem measures 19.46 by 13.30 by 10.26 millimeters, and its cabochon cut maximizes the internal adularescent phenomena characteristic of quality moonstone. The surface has an excellent polish that produces a smooth, reflective dome, and the stone is graded as very very slightly included when evaluated at eye level, ensuring an overall eye clean appearance with only minute, typical inclusions visible under magnification. Color intensity is light, which allows the blue flash to appear vivid against the soft body tone, and the material is natural with no enhancements. The provenance is Ceylon, Sri Lanka, a region known for producing moonstones with strong adularescence and stable physical characteristics.

Under varied lighting conditions this moonstone exhibits distinct behavior that can be described in practical terms. In bright direct sunlight the dome catches and concentrates light into a striking blue flash that seems to glide across the surface as the stone or the viewer moves, the high dome height amplifying this effect and offering pronounced contrast between the flash and the body color. In diffuse daylight the adularescence becomes softer and more evenly distributed, producing a serene, milky glow that enhances the stone s translucency and allows the internal structures to diffuse light gently, which reads as a calm, ethereal sheen. Under cool LED lighting the blue flash tends to appear crisp and slightly more saturated, while incandescent and candlelight bring forward warmer tones in the body color, causing the blue sheen to read with greater subtlety and depth. In low moonlight the stone displays a delicate, floating sheen that is especially pleasing in night settings, creating a classic moonstone effect where the light seems to come from within. For mounting and display purposes orienting the oval axis to allow the adularescent band to travel across the length of the cabochon will optimize motion and visibility of the blue flash, and the stone s polished dome will reflect ambient light in a way that complements a variety of settings without the need for artificial enhancement.