M
MALACHITE
Name: Derived from the Greek word "malhe," meaning grass, "malakos" meaning "soft," or from "molochitis lithios" meaning mallow-green stone.
Description: an opaque gem with a strong bluish green to green color. It typically shows curved or circular banding in varying shades of green. It is considered an extra-care gem.
Color: It gets its color from copper. Its color ranges from bluish green to dark green color. Usually features distinctive curved or angular banding (concentric circles, swirls) with differing shades of green (alternating lighter and darker shades) in agate-like patterns. It is sometimes called “peacock eyes”.
Treatments:
Wax: fill small surface voids, improve luster, and enhance durability.
Impregnation: sometimes with plastic or other hardening agents to increase durability.
Moh’s Hardness: 3.5 to 4.
Toughness: poor.
Location Found: Australia; Chile; Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire); Germany; Mexico; Romania; Russia (Ural Mountains); South Africa; United Kingdom; United States (Arizona, New Mexico); Zambia.
Birthstone: March to May.
Wedding Anniversaries: N/A.
Zodiac Signs: Cancer, Capricorn, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Taurus, Virgo.
Chakra Associations: Heart, Throat, Solar Plexus.
Historical Associations: peaceful sleep; protection from witchcraft; absorb/ward off the evil eye; transformation; protection; truth unveiled; intense transmutation; hidden wounds exposed; hidden toxic cords exposed; unspoken grief exposed; deep energetic protection; guardian stone; protection women and children from spiritual attack; self-expression; self-confidence; balance; abundance; good luck; bring peace; protect infants.
Historically Used to Treat: liver; heart; womb; menstrual health; emotional pain stored in the body; emotional healing; pollutants; electromagnetic radiation; illness; childbirth; colic; stomach ailments; fainting spells; muscle spasms; cardiac pains.
Care: High heat can cause discoloration and damage. Excessive sunlight may cause color to fade or the stone to turn black. It will react and dissolve in acids (even mild ones like vinegar). Sensitive to ammonia and bleach. Avoid wearing while cleaning or cooking with acids. Avoid steam or ultrasonic cleaning. A soft damp cloth and mild soap is safe. Dry thoroughly.
Imitations: Glass; Plastic. These can often be identified by a lighter weight, lack of natural banding, or an unnatural appearance.
Synthetics: Produced on a limited basis. Identification requires advanced testing. Poorly made synthetics can have an unnatural color. Can also be identified by banding and eye patterns that lack a natural, geometric growth.
Description: an opaque gem with a strong bluish green to green color. It typically shows curved or circular banding in varying shades of green. It is considered an extra-care gem.
Color: It gets its color from copper. Its color ranges from bluish green to dark green color. Usually features distinctive curved or angular banding (concentric circles, swirls) with differing shades of green (alternating lighter and darker shades) in agate-like patterns. It is sometimes called “peacock eyes”.
Treatments:
Wax: fill small surface voids, improve luster, and enhance durability.
Impregnation: sometimes with plastic or other hardening agents to increase durability.
Moh’s Hardness: 3.5 to 4.
Toughness: poor.
Location Found: Australia; Chile; Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire); Germany; Mexico; Romania; Russia (Ural Mountains); South Africa; United Kingdom; United States (Arizona, New Mexico); Zambia.
Birthstone: March to May.
Wedding Anniversaries: N/A.
Zodiac Signs: Cancer, Capricorn, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Taurus, Virgo.
Chakra Associations: Heart, Throat, Solar Plexus.
Historical Associations: peaceful sleep; protection from witchcraft; absorb/ward off the evil eye; transformation; protection; truth unveiled; intense transmutation; hidden wounds exposed; hidden toxic cords exposed; unspoken grief exposed; deep energetic protection; guardian stone; protection women and children from spiritual attack; self-expression; self-confidence; balance; abundance; good luck; bring peace; protect infants.
Historically Used to Treat: liver; heart; womb; menstrual health; emotional pain stored in the body; emotional healing; pollutants; electromagnetic radiation; illness; childbirth; colic; stomach ailments; fainting spells; muscle spasms; cardiac pains.
Care: High heat can cause discoloration and damage. Excessive sunlight may cause color to fade or the stone to turn black. It will react and dissolve in acids (even mild ones like vinegar). Sensitive to ammonia and bleach. Avoid wearing while cleaning or cooking with acids. Avoid steam or ultrasonic cleaning. A soft damp cloth and mild soap is safe. Dry thoroughly.
Imitations: Glass; Plastic. These can often be identified by a lighter weight, lack of natural banding, or an unnatural appearance.
Synthetics: Produced on a limited basis. Identification requires advanced testing. Poorly made synthetics can have an unnatural color. Can also be identified by banding and eye patterns that lack a natural, geometric growth.
MOLDAVITE
Name: Named after the Moldau River in Bohemia, where it was first discovered.
AKA: Tektite.
Description: Moldavite is a rare, natural glass that formed from a meteorite impact approximately 15 million years ago that is often a forest-green color.
Variety: Tektite.
Color: forest green, olive green, or occasionally brownish-green.
Treatments: N/A
Moh’s Hardness: 5.5 to 7.
Toughness: Poor. Prone to chipping and fracturing.
Location Found: Czech Republic (Bohemia, Moravia).
Birthstone: N/A
Wedding Anniversaries: N/A
Zodiac Signs: All.
Chakra Associations: Crown; Heart; Third Eye.
Historical Associations: transformation; clarity; heat; holy grail; rapidly clear old patterns, habits and life baggage; bridge physical and spiritual realms; accelerate spiritual growth; sudden life changes; align with intended life path; manifestation.
Historically Used to Treat: cellular regeneration; fatigue; brain/mental fog.
Care: Avoid extreme temperature changes, direct sunlight for extended periods, or proximity to heaters, which can cause “crazing” or cracking. Never use an ultrasonic or steam cleaner. Clean using lukewarm water and a soft cloth. Store in a padded, velvet-lined compartment away from harder stones such as diamond, rubies, sapphires, etc.
Imitations: Green glass.
Synthetics: Green Glass.
Fake vs Authentic: Authentic pieces are rarely flawless and usually contain “lechatelierite” (a high-temperature silica inclusion) visible under magnification. Fake pieces often feel too smooth, have a uniform look, or contain large, perfectly round air bubbles. The fakes can have a greasy luster instead of the signature wrinkled, pitted texture. Look at the price, natural moldavite is rare and expensive, so if it is a large piece selling for a low price, it is most likely glass.
MOONSTONE
Name: Derived from the ancient belief that the stone was created from solidified moonbeams or “frozen” moonlight.AKA: Stone of New Beginnings.
Description: semitransparent to opaque.
Chemical Formula: KAlSi3O8
Group: feldspar, specifically orthoclase.
Variety: orthoclase feldspar.
Color: colorless, cream, white, light green, yellow, brown, silver, gray to black, light bluish gray, peach to orange. Usually colorless, white, or light bluish gray, with white or blue adularescence is called “rainbow moonstone” which is a misnomer as it is technically labradorite.
Treatments: Rarely Treated. Occasionally rainbow moonstone (Labradorite) may be surface-coated to enhance the blue flash, but this is uncommon in high-quality gems.
Moh’s Hardness: 6 to 6.5. (moderately hard but brittle due to “perfect cleavage”, meaning it can split if struck hard)
Toughness: Poor because of cleavage.
Location Found: India; Madagascar; Myanmar (Burma); Sri Lanka; USA (New Mexico).
Birthstone: June.
Wedding Anniversaries: 13th.
Zodiac Signs: Aquarius; Cancer; Gemini; Libra; Pisces; Sagittarius; Scorpio; Virgo.
Chakra Associations: Crown; Third Eye; Sacral.
Historical Associations: dreams; feminine; good luck; Moon; moonbeams; moonlight; future seeing; lunar deities; prophecy; protection during travel at night or over water; peaceful dreams; spiritual insight; encourage intuition; encourage empathy; balance yin-yang, masculine-feminine energies; manifest synchronicities; manifest good luck; divine feminine guidance; protection during transitions; hidden self; attune to cyclical wisdom (cosmic, bodily); inner knowing; ancestral feminine power; dream messages; good fortune; foretell future events; cycles; intuition; lunar alignment.
Historically Used to Treat: insomnia; sleepwalking; water retention; regulate menstrual cycles; ease pain of childbirth; balance body’s fluid levels; stress-related stomach problems; digestive issues; emotional balance; reproductive balance; calm emotional triggers; hormonal rhythm regulation; fertility; womb; eases pms; anxiety.
Care: High heat or sudden temperature change can cause breaks. Attacked by hydrofluoric acid. Sensitive to harsh household acids like lemon juice or vinegar. Avoid ultrasonic or steam cleaners. Warm, soapy water and a very soft brush or soft cloth are safe. Store separately so hard stones will not scratch it.
Imitations: Glass; Plastic. Opalite (a man-made iridescent glass), plastic, or milky white chalcedony. Opalite is the most common “fake” found in cheap jewelry.
Synthetics: No commercial synthetic moonstone exists.
MORGANITE
Name: named in 1911 by George F. Kunz in honor of John Pierpont Morgan for his support of the arts and sciences.
AKA: Pink Emerald. Pink Beryl. Stone of Divine Love.
Description: A pink to lilac, rose, magenta, peach, salmon, apricot, and orange-pink colored beryl.
Chemical Composition: Be3Al2Si6O18
Variety: pink to lilac, rose, magenta, peach, salmon, apricot, and orange-pink beryl.
Color: The color comes from trace amounts of manganese. Pale pink, rose pink to lilac, magenta, peach, orange-pink, salmon, apricot. Current trends are leaning toward the “peach” tones though the pure pink is traditionally more valuable. The finest color is a deep magenta.
Treatments:
Heat improves pink color by removing orange tint and is undetectable and permanent. It is stable except at temperatures over 400 degrees Celsius. Heating removes the yellow/orange overtones, leaving a pure, stable pink.
Moh’s Hardness: 7.5 to 8.
Toughness: Fair to Good.
Location Found: Afghanistan; Brazil (Minas Gerais); Madagascar; Mozambique; Namibia; USA (California).
Birthstone: October; November.
Wedding Anniversaries: 1st, 2nd.
Zodiac Signs: Libra; Taurus; Pisces.
Chakra Associations: Heart. Sacral.
Historical Associations: release old wounds; release hidden traumas; release shame-based emotions; peace; joy; love; commitment; attract soulmate; be more receptive to the needs of others; lightness of spirit.
Historically Used to Treat: respiratory issues; asthma; tuberculosis; emphysema; heart palpitations; stress-related cardiac issues; overactive sympathetic nervous system; eyesight
Care: Attracts skin oils and dust like a magnet and needs more frequent cleaning than a diamond. Heat may fade pinkish orange to pink and may fracture if liquid inclusions are present. Avoid harsh chemicals or bleach. Hydrofluoric acid can damage it. Ultrasonic and steam cleaning are risky if highly included. Ultrasonic cleaning is generally safe otherwise. Warm, soapy water and a soft brush are safe. Dry with a soft cloth. Store it separately from diamonds, rubies, and sapphires which can scratch it.
Imitations: Pink glass; pink cubic zirconia; kunzite; pink tourmaline.
Synthetics: Hydrothermal exist and are chemically identical but usually have a “too perfect” saturation that looks slightly unnatural compared to the soft, pastels of Earth-mined stones.
MOTHER-OF-PEARL
Name: Named for its role as the “mother” or the source of the pearl.
AKA: Nacre.
Description: Mother-of-Pearl is the smooth, iridescent lining found on the inner shell of certain mollusks. The nacre that it is made from is also what pearls are formed from.
Color: Typically white or creamy-white with a rainbow iridescence. Can also be found in pink, silver, blue-green, or dark gray.
Treatments:
Bleaching: done to brighten white pieces.
Dyeing: to enhance color.
Moh’s Hardness: 2.5 – 3.5.
Toughness: Good.
Location Found: Worldwide; Asia; Australia; Persian Gulf; South Pacific.
Birthstone: June.
Wedding Anniversaries: 1st.
Zodiac Signs: Cancer; Pisces.
Chakra Associations: Crown; Heart.
Historical Associations: Protection; rebirth; intuition; calming; soothe anger; promote peace of mind; new ideas; shield; keep one safe from harm when traveling; grace; resilience; adaptability; creativity.
Historically Used to Treat: eye inflammation; cataracts; used as an antacid to settle the stomach; heartburn; open wounds; minor burns.
Care: Highly sensitive to acids, hairspray, perfume, and cosmetics. Avoid prolonged heat as it will cause the material to dry out and flake or lose its luster. Never use ultrasonic cleaner or steam cleaner. Clean using a soft, damp cloth. Store in a fabric pouch so it will not be scratched.
Imitations: Celluloid; Resin; Lacquered Plastic.
Synthetics: No true synthetic.