Moonstone (8-stone set) (rare locality)

Item Description

A rarely seen set of gem quality Moonstones from Mogok. Moonstone literally has been known for thousands of years, and documentation of the gem goes back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Greeks actually named the gem "Aphroselene" in honor of two of their gods; Aphrodite the goddess of love and Selen, the moon goddess. The Romans considered the blue sheen in Moonstone to be frozen moonbeams. Moonstone has for many years represented love, rejuvenation, prosperity and renewal. Moonstone is a gem that everybody has heard of, but few people have great examples in their collection. The actual mineral is Feldspar (Microcline, Sanidine, Orthoclase, Anorthite, etc.) that can range from opaque to gem grade and exhibits and a pearly and opalescent "sheen" when rotated in the light. Typically this "sheen" will be a blue hue, but various shades of green, purple or pink can be present. This effect is referred to as adularescence, and is the result of intergrown crystals of Feldspar at differently oriented positions within the main mass of the Moonstone. Here we have an 8-stone set of "Oval Cabochon" cut gems from Mogok with good internal gemminess, and that goreous opalescent "sheen" that can be seen best when the stones are rotated in reflected light. A beautiful set of gems from a fairly unlikely locality.
From the collection of Bill ("Burma Bill") Larson of Fallbrook, California. Bill is a well-known gem and mineral dealer as well as a miner and worldwide mineral collector. Bill has traveled the world for decades in search of fine gems and minerals, and was directly involved in the in-person acquisition and importation of superb specimens and stones from Myanmar (Burma). You can read his biography at https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/larsonwilliam-f/