This article was co-authored by Alisa Thorp and by How.com.vn staff writer, Bailey Cho. Alisa Thorp is a Jewelry Design & Ethical Gemstone Expert and the Co-Founder of Mercurius Jewelry. With over 15 years of experience, she specializes in responsibly-sourced fine jewelry. She holds a BS in Environmental Science from Columbia University and is studying gemology at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
There are 23 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
This article has been viewed 10,505 times.
There are thousands of beautiful gemstones worldwide, but few are as alluring as moonstones and opals. Both gems have an ethereal quality, and it’s common for moonstones to be mistaken for opals. Although both can have a milky color and blue shimmer, opals and moonstones have major differences in appearance and meaning. To help you choose your perfect gem, here’s a guide on everything you need to know about moonstones and opals.
Things You Should Know
- Moonstones and opals are two different gemstones. Opals come in endless colors, while moonstones are usually clear or white.
- Opals are more valuable than moonstones because of their rarity and uniqueness–no two opals are alike.
- Moonstones have a unique property known as adularescence, which gives the stone an ethereal sheen.
Steps
Expert Q&A
Tips
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about identifying gemstones, check out our in-depth interview with Alisa Thorp.
References
- ↑ https://www.gemsociety.org/article/moonstone-jewelry-gem-information
- ↑ https://www.gia.edu/birthstones/june-birthstones
- ↑ https://youtu.be/c1zKDrBA-pQ?t=66
- ↑ https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/opal-australias-national-gemstone
- ↑ https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/opal-australias-national-gemstone
- ↑ https://agta.org/education/gemstones/moonstone
- ↑ https://www.ga.gov.au/education/classroom-resources/minerals-energy/australian-mineral-facts/opal
- ↑ https://youtu.be/uX1xSWwYc14?t=69
- ↑ https://youtu.be/NhIswv_KVeM?t=137
- ↑ https://youtu.be/NhIswv_KVeM?t=76
- ↑ https://www.gemsociety.org/article/inclusions
- ↑ https://www.gemsociety.org/article/moonstone-jewelry-gem-information
- ↑ https://youtu.be/NhIswv_KVeM?t=84
- ↑ https://agta.org/education/gemstones/moonstone
- ↑ https://www.gia.edu/opal-care-cleaning
- ↑ https://www.gia.edu/moonstone-care-cleaning
- ↑ https://youtu.be/koAhnBVyWR0?t=173
- ↑ https://www.gia.edu/opal-history-lore
- ↑ https://youtu.be/PTfS5U2knfc?t=28
- ↑ https://youtu.be/oB663IWQzvk?t=62
- ↑ https://youtu.be/ULzr204lj-0?t=157
- ↑ https://howtofindrocks.com/are-moonstones-valuable/
- ↑ https://howtofindrocks.com/is-opal-valuable/
- ↑ https://www.ga.gov.au/education/classroom-resources/minerals-energy/australian-mineral-facts/opal
- ↑ https://www.gia.edu/moonstone-quality-factor
- ↑ https://www.gia.edu/opal-quality-factor
- ↑ https://youtu.be/8upjgBIZCVo?t=80
About This Article
Did this article help you?
⚠️ Disclaimer:
Content from Wiki How English language website. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License; additional terms may apply.
Wiki How does not encourage the violation of any laws, and cannot be responsible for any violations of such laws, should you link to this domain, or use, reproduce, or republish the information contained herein.
- - A few of these subjects are frequently censored by educational, governmental, corporate, parental and other filtering schemes.
- - Some articles may contain names, images, artworks or descriptions of events that some cultures restrict access to
- - Please note: Wiki How does not give you opinion about the law, or advice about medical. If you need specific advice (for example, medical, legal, financial or risk management), please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area.
- - Readers should not judge the importance of topics based on their coverage on Wiki How, nor think a topic is important just because it is the subject of a Wiki article.