4.85" Polished Free-Standing Black Moonstone - Madagascar

This is a piece of polished black moonstone, mined and crafted in Madagascar. The base of the specimen has been cut flat for upright presentation. Moonstone gets its name from a visual effect, or chatoyance, caused by light diffraction within the micro-crystalline structure. Moonstone is composed of two feldspar varieties, orthoclase and albite. The two species are intermingled. Then, as the newly formed mineral cools, the inter-growth of orthoclase and albite separates into stacked, alternating layers.