Moonstone Mine of Sri Lanka EarthCache
Moonstone Mine of Sri Lanka
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Moonstone Mine of Sri Lanka
The moonstone is characterised by an enchanting play of light.
Indeed it owes its name to that mysterious shimmer which always
looks different when the stone is moved and is known in the trade
as 'adularescence'. In earlier times, people believed they could
recognise in it the crescent and waning phases of the moon.
Moonstones from Sri Lanka, the classical country of origin of the
moonstone, shimmer in pale blue on an almost transparent
background. Specimens from India feature a nebulous interplay of
light and shadow on a background of beige-brown, green, orange or
brown. These discreet colours, in connection with the fine shimmer,
make the moonstone an ideal gemstone for jewellery with a sensual,
feminine aura. This gemstone was very popular once before, about a
hundred years ago at the time of Art Nouveau. It adorns a
noticeably large number of the jewellery creations of the French
master goldsmith René Lalique and his contemporaries, mainly to be
found in museums and collections today. This gemstone is surrounded
by a good deal of mystique and magic. In many cultures, for example
in India, it is regarded as a holy, magical gemstone. In India,
moonstones are also regarded as 'dream stones' which bring the
wearer beautiful visions at night. In Arabic countries, women often
wear moonstones sewn out of sight into their garments, for in their
cultures the moonstone is a symbol of fertility. The moonstone
symbolises our being in its entirety. With its soft shimmer, it
strengthens our emotional and subconscious aspects. The
associations connected with that make it a "lovers' stone", evoking
tender feelings and safeguarding the true joys of love. It is also
said that wearing a moonstone strengthens our intuition and our
capacity to understand. What are moonstones and where do they come
from? This enchanting gemstone belongs to the large mineral group
of the feldspars, of which almost two thirds of all the rocks on
Earth consist. The moonstone is actually the feldspar variety known
as 'adularia', a potassium aluminosilicate of gemstone quality,
which is also found in the European Alps near the Adula Group
– hence the name 'adularia'. Another synonym for moonstone is
'selenite', from the Greek 'selene' ('moon'). In their uncut state
moonstones are rather unprepossessing and afford little idea of
what it is that actually constitutes their charm: that mysterious
shimmer of light. For that shimmer is not really shown to advantage
until the art of the cutter has been brought to bear. Classical
moonstones are always cut as cabochons, the most important thing
being the correct height of the stone. The cutter must also align
the axes of the crystal precisely into the zenith of the stone, for
that is the only way in which he will bring about the desired light
effect. Traditionally, the classical moonstones, almost transparent
and with their bluish shimmer, come from Sri Lanka. However, they
are also found in the USA, Brazil, Australia, Myanmar and
Madagascar. Since bluish moonstones of good quality have been
becoming more and more of a rarity in recent years, prices have
risen sharply. For a few years, there have also been some green,
brown and orange specimens on the market, as well as some with a
smoky colour and some the colour of champagne, and some black and
some reddish ones, mainly originating from India. Some have a cat's
eye effect or a four-spoked star as well as the typical undulating
shimmer of light. These stones are not only cut as cabochons, but
also as artistic cameos or engraved with the faces of children, the
moon or grotesques. But they too have the shimmer of light typical
of the moonstone, as do the beads which are cut from suitable raw
material for gemstone necklaces. Where does this strange shimmer of
light come from? The shimmer of light of the moonstone is something
very special in the fascinating world of gemstones. Specialists
refer to the phenomenon as 'adularisation'. The cause of it is the
lamellar inner construction of the gemstone. Incident light rays
are refracted and scattered in the stone. In this way, a unique
light effect comes about, and it is this which makes the moonstone
so distinctive and so desirable. However, this beautiful gemstone
does have one weak point, and that is its relatively low hardness
of only 6 on the Mohs scale. For that reason, moonstones should be
handled with care, for they are sensitive. Having said that, minor
flaws such as may occur when the stone has been worn for some time
are quite easy to remedy. A jeweller can have a moonstone which has
grown matt repolished, after which it will shimmer again just as it
did on the very first day. Three-dimensional colour and seductive
aura When purchasing moonstone jewellery you will come across the
most astonishing price differences. The more intense in colour, the
larger and the more transparent, the more highly valued the
moonstone. Really fine blue specimens display an incredible
'three-dimensional' depth of colour which the observer does not
really come to recognise until the stone is moved about in a
playful way. Specimens of that kind are highly esteemed on account
of their rarity and their prices are correspondingly high. The
colourful Indian moonstones, on the other hand, are not only very
much in fashion. They are also, as a rule, somewhat more reasonably
priced than classical blue moonstones. This means that today,
anyone can select the moonstone to suit his or her taste and
pocket. Moonstones are treasures of Nature with a sensual and
seductive aura. Not only do they like to be looked at and admired a
lot; they also thrive on being worn and moved about a good deal,
for only then can the soft shimmer of light which makes this
gemstone so desirable really come into its own.
If you want to log this earthcache, you must answer the follow
questions. The photo of you and your GPS at the coordinates you
should upload with your log:
1: What 2 important colours have the digged Moonstone at this
Mine?
2: How deep is the Mine, and how deep is the vertical dig at the
Mine?
3: Load up your Pic with yourself and your GPS at the given
Coordinates.
Additional Hints
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