Channeling Your Inner Goddess: Discovering Rainbow Moonstone Beads

Rainbow moonstone, also known as white Labradorite, is a type of stone that is used to connect with the crown chakra, sacral chakra, and third eye chakra. This stone's most recognizable and defining feature is its color. The color is typically white with a bluish shimmer or, in rare cases, it can also have an iridescent sheen to it. It has been known throughout history among cultures like the Romans and Greeks to represent rays of moonlight.

The rainbow moonstone has often been used in all kinds of jewelry across multiple societies and was typically used as a symbol for various lunar deities. Some of these deities are the Sioux moon Goddess Hanwi, Greek Goddess of the moon Selene, and Roman Goddess of the moon Diana.

Rainbow moonstone can primarily be found in countries such as Canada, the United States, Russia, Australia, India, Mexico, Madagascar, Myanmar (specifically in Burma), and Sri Lanka. Rainbow moonstone belongs to a group of stones called feldspar. Some types of feldspar stones include other varieties of moonstone, sunstone, amazonite, and more.

Rainbow moonstone and other moonstones are very durable stones, but they still require a light cleaning from time to time. To clean your rainbow moonstone, all you need is warm, soapy water and a soft cloth. Wipe the stone(s) gently and rinse well to remove any leftover soap.

Rainbow moonstones give off a divine feminine energy. Some of the uses for rainbow moonstone include: clearing the mind and senses, providing psychic protection, aiding in lucid dreaming, warding off negativity, and helping with emotional trauma, among other uses.

June has the rainbow moonstone as an alternative birthstone. What better gift to give than the beautiful rainbow moonstone jewelry made personally by hand? rainbow moonstones can be used in a variety of ways, ranging from bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings, anklets, pendants to the more complex wire-wrapped jewelry. Rainbow moonstone jewelry also makes for a great gift for those celebrating their 13^th wedding anniversary.

Some great gift ideas are to make or purchase earrings, bracelets, and necklaces made with rainbow moonstone. These jewelry styles show off the rainbow moonstone's lovely coloring, and this stone works well in combination with other stones and metal beads or metal settings in gold or silver.

Beading board: This item will allow you to organize your beads in the desired pattern while maintaining the ideal length or measurement you want. The board often comes with indentations and measurements marked in inches, as well as small pockets to hold your extra beads as you work.

Body tape measure: Some people have large wrists or small wrists, or prefer a specific necklace length or style. The tape will help you determine the appropriate size for your beading project.

Beads: You will need lots of beads for this project. Beads tend to be sold in either strands, boxes, or packets. There is a wide selection of bead types. Some of the types of beads are:

• Semi-precious stones (rainbow moonstone, crystal quartz, and more)

• Precious stones (emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and more)

• Metal (copper, silver, gold, and other types of metal)

• Wood (often painted or treated to withstand moisture)

• Seashells and freshwater shells

• Glass (Delica beads, lampworked beads; blown glass beads, and seed beads, to name a few)

• Plastic

• Pearls

• Pendants and charms (beads that have a hole and sometimes a chain link already inserted)

Beads come in all types of colors, shapes, and sizes, depending on what you want for your project.

Crimping pliers: These pliers are necessary to squeeze the crimp beads into place. The purpose of this prevents the decorative beads from falling off the stringing material and attaches the clasp piece of the jewelry.

Crimp beads: These are cylindrical beads that are made of metal and easy to crimp. These are typically sold in packets unless you go for the more expensive metal kinds like sterling silver. The purpose of crimp beads is to prevent the decorative beads from falling off the stringing material. The crimp beads are also necessary to attach a clasp to the bracelet.

Wire cutters (used to cut beading wire): Beading wire comes with two to three measurements. These measurements are there to tell you how many strands, the amount of weight the wire can handle per pound, and the diameter of the wire. The more strands the wire has, the stiffer it tends to be. For beginners, it is recommended to use a 7 strand; this is also the more economical choice and easiest to find in stores. Otherwise,19 strands or 49 strands will give a more professional feel.

The amount of weight the wire should be able to handle is at least 26 to 40 pounds.

Diameters of beads are determined by the size of hole in the beads you are using. Seed beads tend to work well with 0.010” - 0.15” millimeters.  Small to medium sized beads work best with 0.15” - 0.21” millimeters.  Large and heavy beads work best with 0.24” - 0.036” millimeters.

If you feel unsure of the size of wire your beads need, you can always check the diameter of the hole by testing the beads with the various wire types or refer to the online store's bead measurements.

Chakra bracelets are used to balance the energy between the body's seven chakras. You make the bracelets based on which stones align with a certain chakra.

Bloodstone aligns with the root chakra. Moonstone and citrine align with the sacral chakra. Topaz aligns with the solar plexus chakra. Jade aligns with the heart chakra. Turquoise aligns with the throat chakra. Amethyst aligns with the third eye chakra. Rainbow moonstone aligns with the crown chakra.

Once you have gathered all your materials and the necessary beads, you can begin your project.

For a step-by-step guide, there are many articles and YouTube videos that will give you easy to understand directions on how to make your beautiful bracelet, so you or the recipient can channel your inner goddess!