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Details
- Title: Moonstone Carving
- Location: Sri Lanka, Asia
- Rights: This image was obtained from the Smithsonian Institution. The image or its contents may be protected by international copyright laws. http://www.si.edu/termsofuse
- External Link: View this object record in the Smithsonian Institution Collections Search Center
- Weight: 50.77ct
- USNM Catalog Number(s): G2104
- Scientific Name: The minerals in the feldspar family make up more than half of the Earth’s rocky crust. Occasionally these common minerals form crystals that shimmer like the light of the moon or a rainbow on a soap bubble. Called iridescence, this phenomenon is caused by light scattering, or diffracting, off closely spaced layers in the feldspar crystals. The gems cut from these iridescent crystals are called moonstone, sunstone, and labradorite. This delicately carved 50.77ct moonstone is from Sri Lanka. Moonstone is the most highly prized of the feldspar gems and is valued for its beautiful blue sheen, called adularescence. Purchased in 1931.
- Photo Credit: Chip Clark, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History
- Field: Mineral Sciences
- Fassion: Carved, Round With Flowers
- Color: White
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