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Moonstone is a nearly transparent stone that occurs
in a number of hues, including gold, green, blue, and silver. When
exposed to light, moonstones shine in a fashion that is often
compared to moonlight falling through thin clouds, and the gleam
changes remarkably depending on the angle at which the light falls.
Common-speaking jewelers call this trait "adularescence." One
noteworthy variant of moonstone is opaline moonstone, which produces
a spray of rainbows like those of an opal as well as the
characteristic adularescence of moonstones.
Different varieties of moonstone can be found throughout Elanith,
but Dragach, Ta'Nalfein, and Teras Isle are the most noteworthy
sources.
Moonstone is quite responsive to spiritual magics. It
is particularly useful when summoning spirits, as many spirits find
it interesting and alluring, but it does not assist the summoner in
maintaining control over what has been conjured.
The diviners who live in the human city of Phannus
say that moonstones will always reveal what is hidden, including
secrets, hidden emotions, hidden patterns, and the solutions to
riddles. They say, however, that moonstones reveal too much -- that
there are things that no mortal can face, and that divining on
moonstone will draw you closer and closer to those hidden, terrible
truths.
Common lore in Dragach holds that, if you speak
the name of your beloved three times and put a moonstone in your
mouth at midnight, the heart of your beloved will be drawn
unstoppably toward you. Many old wives' tales are told of foolish
young women who use this charm and suffer terribly as a result.
The stone-tenders of Aldora say that proper
application of moonstone will draw a person from a coma, but they
also say that it is usually better to let the mind heal at its own
pace.
Elven lore holds moonstone to be special to the
Arkati Zelia. When particularly pleased with the currents of madness
in a chosen mortal's mind, Zelia may present the mortal with an
ornate piece of moonstone jewelry that is cursed (or blessed) to
draw the mortal deeper into madness. All of the mortals touched in
this fashion seem quite proud and protective of their prizes, though
they are often also incoherent and incapable of caring for
themselves.
Halflings do not associate moonstone with Zelia.
To them, moonstone is "the stone of watchmen," and night sentries
sometimes carry a piece of moonstone to help them ward off sleep.
Moonstone is the most valuable stone from the feldspar group. A
billowy or floating blue light becomes visible when the stone is
rotated in front of a light source. This effect, called
adularescence, is caused by the intergrowth of another feldspar in
oriented positions within the main mass of the moonstone.
In many areas of the world, moonstone is believed to bring good
fortune to its wearer.
In ancient times, it was supposed to
arouse tender passions in lovers and give them the power to read the
future; to be effective as a means of determining one's personal
future, it had to be placed in the mouth when the moon was full.
According to legend, the brightness of
moonstone increases as the new moon becomes full and Indians
consider it sacred as it is believed that one can see Into the
future if the stone is held in the mouth when the moon is full.
Moonstone can occur in a variety of colors aside white, like yellow,
gray, pink or green, but for these "fancy" colored moonstones, the
effect produce a white eye and not a blue sheen.
A new kind of
moonstone has also been recently discovered in Tanzania. The
stones exhibit cat's-eyes with a weaker ray perpendicular to the eye
producing a four-ray star in some specimens. We call it "sunstar".
Moonstone is the birthstone for June, alternating with
alexandrite and
pearl. It
is the anniversary gemstone for the 13th year of marriage. |
