robotic rodents

My fascination with moonstone probably originated from the fact it was listed as one of my birthstones. Notwithstanding that the modern set of birthstones is a ploy by the American National Association of Jewellers to market what stones they most wanted to sell, even the milkiest of moonstones have a semi-transparent depth that carry a secret shimmer, making it one of the most interesting stones where each is always a little different from another.

The lore around the moonstone typically associates it with a wind or water element and is — it goes without saying — closely linked to the moon and its goddesses. Its symbolisms are plenty: anything from balancing emotions to fertility and intuition; attributes fairly typical of a stone related to wind or water.

I encountered the labradorite much later in life without knowing what it was, though its iridescent qualities reminded me much of the moonstone. In delving a little more into the mineral composition, it’s no wonder that these two stones are closely related: they are both feldspar minerals. I know too little about how the chemical composition works, but the lore around the labradorite is as weighted as that of the moonstone. Consider this list of metaphysical properties; there are many others, and it’s curious that we should attribute so much meaning and power to a gemstone.

Of all the lore that exists about the labradorite, one little thing that caught my attention is that the labradorite is also called “the dark side of the moon”.

That was all the inspiration I needed for this piece: a necklace featuring a gorgeous labradorite bead with satellite moonstones as the center piece, held together with erratic macramé of black cotton and dyed hemp, punctuated with smaller moonstone and labradorite beads.

2009 Oct Update: This necklace now belongs to Nicole Sullivan.