By Jennifer Heebner, Editor in Chief
Twenty years ago, Jeffrey Bilgore of the eponymous jewelry design firm gave his wife and daughter matching Moonstone pendant necklaces. The gems were Sri Lankan material and part of a pair that he appropriately separated for the two most important women in his life.
“They had a fine blue sheen,” recalls Bilgore. “I had some star-shape blue Sapphires cut in Bangkok and put one atop both with Diamonds on either side to represent the stars and the moon.”
The sentimental beauties were loved for years until his wife sadly lost hers, sending Bilgore on a search for a replacement.
In the process, he picked up a multitude of new Moonstones, include three enormous cuts from a trio of origins—a 27.02 ct. from Sri Lanka, a 29.85 ct. from Tanzania, and a 33.22 ct. Burmese. Each is an incredible specimen representing the unique beauty of each country.
“Madagascan and Tanzanian Moonstones are more similar than Sri Lankan, and Indian and Tanzanian are more similar than Sri Lankan and Burmese,” he explains of Moonstones from different origins.
Moonstone comprises common minerals like feldspar, according to GIA, but is rare to find in top qualities that are free of inclusions. Its appeal lies in its “stacked layers of orthoclase and albite that diffract light, creating moonstone’s adularescence,” continues the educational giant. “The finest moonstone is a gem of glassy purity with a mobile, electric blue shimmer.”
Bilgore loves the gem for its “magical” appearance. “It’s like looking up at the moon,” he says.
His fave sources are Sri Lanka and Burma. “You get an iridescence that looks like the moon shining, and some material even resembles a little haze in the night sky.”
Meanwhile, Sapphire and Diamond accents are timeless companions for Moonstone. “They’ve been a classic item in jewelry forever,” he adds.
So, after acquiring some sizable new Moonstones, Bilgore decided not only to make his wife a new necklace but also to gift some to other Bilgore women. He selected five beautiful Moonstones, each in excess of 10 carats, and set them with the same blue Sapphire stars—“I have a box of them left over that I never did anything with,” he says—and Diamonds as the original necklaces. He made ones for his wife, sister- and daughter-in-law, and two nieces. Clearly, it’s a good time to be a woman in the Bilgore family.
“Everyone reacts positively to Moonstones,” he adds. My wife got a Burmese Moonstone, my sister- and daughter-in-law got Sri Lankan stones, and my nieces got Tanzanian ones.”
As for this trio of giant gems, Bilgore has not yet set them.
“Right now, I just enjoy looking at them,” he says. “The 27.02 ct. is a special shape, that long, long oval. These three could be set into rings or pendants. I have a few interesting designs in mind.”
Perhaps most important, his numero uno—his wife, Diane—has her replacement necklace. “Moonstone is still my wife’s favorite gem,” says Bilgore. “She says the energy from wearing Moonstone is her secret power.”
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