Silver Moonstone Jewellery
Silver moonstone jewellery brings together the soft adularescence of moonstone and the cool gleam of silver, offering distinctive pieces for everyday wear.
Silver Moonstone Jewellery
Silver moonstone jewellery primarily encompasses Arts and Crafts pendants, brooches, necklaces, and rings created across the early decades of the twentieth century. These items highlight the characteristic pale blue sheen of cabochon-cut moonstones set within hand-wrought silver settings.
Forms range from floral brooches and crucifix pendants to festoon necklaces and screwback earrings. The majority of these creations stem from the Arts and Crafts movement, prioritising artisanal metalwork and distinctive gemstone arrangements.
Materials and construction
Silversmiths utilised sterling silver and standard silver to form hand-beaten settings, often incorporating wirework and bezel mounts to secure the stones. These frames support cabochon-cut moonstones, which lack facets to preserve the characteristic internal light play.
Craftspeople integrated supplementary materials such as gold, enamel, blister pearls, coral, and chalcedony to enhance the focal moonstones. Platinum and diamonds appear in select twentieth-century rings, whilst specialist makers applied hand-finished details to individual components.
Silver Moonstone Jewellery Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for silver moonstone jewellery among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
Materials across the selection include moonstone, silver, sterling silver, chalcedony, diamond, enamel, platinum, pearl, gold, amethyst, and coral.
Factors influencing quality
Quality rests on the depth of the moonstone's adularescence, where superior stones display a pronounced floating blue light across the surface. The clarity and cut of the cabochon directly affect how the light moves within the mineral.
Metalwork execution distinguishes standard production from exceptional studio output. Hand-wrought silver with clean bezel work and well-balanced stone arrangements elevates the piece far beyond basic commercial assembly.
Mary Thew·Knoll and Pregizer·George Hunt·John Paul Cooper·Dorrie Nossiter·Amy Sandheim
The Silver Moonstone Jewellery Glossary
- Cabochon
- A gemstone cut with a smooth, rounded, convex top and a flat or slightly curved base rather than facets. This style highlights the optical properties of moonstones.
- Adularescence
- The optical phenomenon where light billows across a gemstone, creating a milky, bluish sheen. It remains the defining characteristic of quality moonstones.
- Festoon necklace
- A decorative neck ornament featuring a draped chain or linked garland of gemstones and metalwork. These pieces often layer drops across the collarbone.
- Bezel setting
- A method of securing a gemstone by surrounding it with a thin metal collar that is pushed over the edge of the stone. This technique provides a secure hold whilst framing the cabochon cleanly.
Silver Moonstone Jewellery: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I care for silver moonstone jewellery?
Moonstone is a relatively soft mineral with a rating on the Mohs scale that requires careful handling. Store pieces separately in soft pouches to avoid scratches from harder gems.
Clean silver and moonstone gently using a soft cloth and warm soapy water, avoiding harsh chemical dips that damage the stone.
Can I wear these pieces every day?
Pendants, necklaces, and earrings experience minimal physical impact during daily wear and suit regular use. Rings and bracelets face more knocks, meaning proper care is necessary to protect the softer moonstone cabochons.
Removing rings before manual tasks prevents accidental scratching of the polished mineral surface.
How do I identify Arts and Crafts pieces?
Arts and Crafts items typically display visible handmade characteristics such as hand-beaten silver textures and individual bezel settings. These designs favour natural motifs like flowers, leaves, and insects over geometric symmetry.
Many pieces also bear the maker's stamp or signature mark on the reverse of the metalwork.
What is adularescence?
Adularescence is the milky, bluish light that appears to float just beneath the surface of a high-grade moonstone. As the viewing angle shifts, this internal glow moves across the cabochon.
Superior stones display a strong, centred blue sheen rather than a dull white reflection.