Rainbow Moonstone
labradorite (plagioclase) — NOT orthoclase moonstone
The best-selling moonstone in the world is not moonstone: it is white labradorite from India and Madagascar, flashing blue by a different optical mechanism entirely. The trade has used the name for so long that correcting it is now futile, so the honest move is to sell it under the name and disclose the species.
Seen · you don't have this one yet
Mineral facts
Hardness
6-6.5 Mohs
Formula
(Ca,Na)(Al,Si)4O8
Family
feldspar
Where it comes from
India, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania
What it is
The best-selling moonstone in the world is not moonstone: it is white labradorite from India and Madagascar, flashing blue by a different optical mechanism entirely. The trade has used the name for so long that correcting it is now futile, so the honest move is to sell it under the name and disclose the species. Physically it is a fine stone either way.
What it is confused with
moonstone, labradorite, opalite, aura-quartz, milky-quartz
A clear-to-milky white body flashing sharp electric blue, and often violet, gold and green, with the flash appearing in defined patches or streaks rather than as a soft all-over glow. That patchiness is the tell: this is labradorescence in a pale plagioclase, not true adularescence. Almost always contains conspicuous black needle-like inclusions and internal fracture veils that throw genuine spectral rainbows. Two cleavages at ~90° and fine parallel twinning striations.
How to tell
Blue flash in discrete patches on a white body, plus black needle inclusions, means labradorite sold as rainbow moonstone. True moonstone's sheen is soft, continuous and billowy across the whole stone. Both are feldspars at 6, 6.5, so hardness will not separate them, look at how the light behaves.
Untreated, but persistently misnamed. Mineralogically this is white labradorite; the crystal trade sells it as moonstone and the app should say so plainly while still using the name people search for.
What it means for you
The Moon is at 1° Scorpio today. Rainbow Moonstone is a feldspar, 6-6.5 on the Mohs scale, and it is the stone traditionally carried when the problem is proximity rather than intensity.
You know what this one would do for you. You just don't have it.
Rainbow Moonstone for every sign
Aries
Fine stone, wrong name.
This is white labradorite. It has been sold as moonstone for so long that correcting it is now futile, which is not a reason to stop: the blue arrives in defined patches rather than a soft all-over glow, and there are black needles inside. Fine stone, wrong name.
Taurus
Physically it is a fine stone either way.
Mineralogically this is white labradorite, and the flash arrives in defined patches rather than the soft continuous glow of true moonstone. The trade has used the wrong name so long that correcting it is futile, which is different from it being wrong. Physically it is a fine stone either way.
Gemini
The best-selling moonstone in the world is labradorite.
The best-selling moonstone in the world is white labradorite. The flash comes in sharp patches instead of a soft continuous drift, and the black needle inclusions settle it in a second. The trade has used the wrong name so long that the right one sounds like pedantry.
Cancer
The name has been wrong far too long to fix.
It is white labradorite. The blue arrives in sharp patches instead of the soft continuous drift of true moonstone, and the black needle inclusions settle the question immediately. The name has been wrong so long that fixing it now would cost more than leaving it.
Leo
This is labradorite. It was never moonstone.
This is labradorite. White plagioclase flashing blue by labradorescence, a different optical mechanism from the adularescence in the moonstone it is sold as, and the patchy streaky flash is how you tell them apart. Correcting the trade name is futile by now. Correct it anyway.
Virgo
It is white labradorite, and the patchy flash proves it.
It is white labradorite. The blue arrives in defined patches instead of a soft continuous haze, because the mechanism is labradorescence rather than adularescence, and black needle inclusions usually confirm it. The name has been wrong so long that correcting it is a hobby rather than a service.
Libra
This is white labradorite. Here is the correction anyway.
This is white labradorite. The flash comes in defined patches and streaks rather than a soft all-over glow, which makes it labradorescence and not the adularescence true moonstone shows. The trade has used the wrong name so long that correcting it is futile, so here is the correction anyway.
Scorpio
This is white labradorite. Keep the stone and the correction.
This is white labradorite. The flash arrives in defined patches alongside black needle inclusions, which is labradorescence rather than the soft continuous sheen true moonstone produces. The trade has used the wrong name so long that correcting it is futile, so keep the stone and the correction both.
Sagittarius
Correcting the name is futile, so state the species anyway.
Mineralogically this is white labradorite, flashing blue by a different optical mechanism than moonstone uses. Correcting the name is futile, so state the species anyway. The black needle inclusions and the patchy flash are how you tell.
Capricorn
Correcting the name is futile. It is still wrong.
Mineralogically this is white labradorite, flashing blue by a different optical mechanism than true moonstone, and the black needle inclusions give it away every time. India and Madagascar supply nearly all of it. The trade has used the wrong name so long that correcting it is futile, which does not make it correct.
Aquarius
This is white labradorite.
This is white labradorite. The flash comes in defined patches rather than a soft all-over glow, which is labradorescence and not the adularescence true moonstone shows. The trade has used the wrong name so long that correcting it has become a hobby rather than a service.
Pisces
The attributions came with the label, not the mineral.
This is white labradorite, sold under moonstone's name for so long that the name has effectively won. The flash comes in patches rather than a soft floating glow, which is the mechanical difference between the two. The attributions came with the label, not the mineral.
Correspondences
What tradition attaches to this stone. Folklore, not chemistry.
Element
water
Planet
Moon
Chakra
third-eye, crown, sacral
Signs
cancer, pisces, libra, scorpio
What tradition says
In crystal lore, rainbow moonstone inherits the lunar and intuitive attributions of true moonstone and adds labradorite's protective reading; practitioners generally treat them as interchangeable, which the mineralogy does not support.
Care
- Water is fine. Dry it afterwards.
- Cleaves and chips on impact like all feldspar. Water fine; no ultrasonic.
Common questions
What does rainbow moonstone mean?
Rainbow Moonstone is carried for intuition, calm and protection. The best-selling moonstone in the world is not moonstone: it is white labradorite from India and Madagascar, flashing blue by a different optical mechanism entirely.. Tradition links it to the third-eye, crown, sacral chakra.
Is rainbow moonstone real or fake?
Rainbow Moonstone is not faked often, but it is still worth checking. Blue flash in discrete patches on a white body, plus black needle inclusions, means labradorite sold as rainbow moonstone. True moonstone's sheen is soft, continuous and billowy across the whole stone.. Untreated, but persistently misnamed.
Can rainbow moonstone go in water?
A short rinse is fine for rainbow moonstone, then dry it.
Common · translucent white body with blue flash, white with rainbow flashes, smoky white
Where this leads
This stone belongs to
Related crystals
FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND REFLECTION. NOT MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, FINANCIAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. How this works