I just returned from gem shopping in Tucson. I emptied my
envelope containing my new blue moonstones out onto my table and
almost immediately my cat jumped up on the table and attempted to
eat one of them. I got it out of her mouth but now it has some
slight scratches on one side of the stone. I would appreciate any
suggestions on how to polish off the scratches. Help!
I’m looking through jewelry publications, i.e. the AGTA award
winners, and the photos of moonstones lo ok quite blue. A lot bluer
than any I saw at AGTA or the other big shows. Are they being set
with something under the moostone, such as a thin slice of opal or
other bluish stone to enhance the color? Or, is it just the way the
photographer is able to catch the natural color in the moonstone
with the proper lighting?
To remove the scratches, the stone must be cut down to below them.
You did not state cabochon or faceted stone, but either way it needs
to be recabbed or faceted.
The other stones may just be bluer, moonstone (feldspar) does not
come in just one color.
I can answer part two of your questions on blue sheen moonstone. We
do mining with my wife who is kenyan in Kenya and represent several
small miners in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. Blue sheen moonstone is
found in all 3 countries although the very best is from Tanzania It
takes alot of work to get to the good layers of blue sheen
moonstone. The very best is facate garde transparent which is very
raare and in short short supply and the rough is thus very expensive
as well as top facteed stones.
The rest is graded out into semi fact cab grade, cab garde and cab
-bead grade materials The amount of blue sheen you are seeing is due
to the grade of the stone in the pictures you are seeing. Top
gemstone cutters use top materiasl for award winning cuts. The price
of the rough as well as the price of finished cabs, beads, etc are
also dependent on the amount of blue sheen or color in the cab or
bead. So what you are seeing is top grade materiasl often seen in
photos or a few ieces rather then standard blue sheen moonstoen cabs
Better colro of course means higher prices Just like peruvina blue
opal .We have all the colors of the carribean waters we cut in Lima
but prices are depednt on how clean or if dentric or picture blue
opal versus clean blue opla and of course color from greenish to
bleu green ot top premium all color deep windex blue looking like
the best neneon bleu pariba torumaline in color Of course sometimes
phtos can be touched up or misleading but in most cases the best
stones or specimens are shown in journal articles or featured storys
in gem or jewerly magazines. Please feel free to contact us for
further
Lee Horowitz, M.Ed, CAGS, Gemologist
Peru Blue Opal LtdHorowitz Co-KCIG Co Ltd
The second question is easier to answer in that the photographer is
using a lighting source and stone orientation to show off the stones
in the best way possible. The schillerescence is internal reflection
so backing it wont improve it. The first question will depend on how
deep the scratches are and where they are. Polishing with a felt mop
and cerium oxide will remove fine scratches.
Go to an auto parts store or Woodcraft for emery paper.
400, 600, 1200 & 2000 grit will get you to the polishing stage
again. Washing the stone when you move up to a smaller size particle.
Rough is 400/ 2000 being very tiny particle.
Any lapidary polish will work after you run thru each grit size on
leather, cloth. Or even printing paper if flat.
Moonstone is very soft- as you found out. Feldspar is found in a huge
variety of color. Around here in Central Texas it is pink and a major
component in pink granite.
Your local gem and mineral club will show you how to re-polish them
faster. Take a class.
Moonstone is affected by surrounding colors, try different clothes
beneath it, and you may have to go into a camera dome to get the
true color. Another difference is setting moonstone next to opalite,
Man made moonstone is hard to catch in the beginning. Blessings pat