Rainbow Moonstone Lunar Tumble

A milky, faintly grey stone that seems to hold a small blue flame under its surface, rainbow moonstone takes its name from that flash of light — adularescence, in mineral terms — which shifts and travels as the tumble turns in the hand. Each piece in this small batch shows the effect a little differently; held at the right angle, the blue can flare bright enough to look almost lit from within. Old European tradition ties moonstone to the moon's own cycle, worn or carried through its waxing and waning as a companion to whatever in a person's life was also changing. Travelers once kept it for safe roads and safe returns, and by long-standing custom it is still given as a small parting gift to someone setting out on a journey or a new chapter. This lot is cut from feldspar mined in Rajasthan, India, the source of most rainbow moonstone sold today; despite the name, it belongs to the same mineral family as labradorite rather than true adularia moonstone from Sri Lanka, and the blue sheen shown here is a close cousin to labradorescence rather than the softer white glow of classic moonstone. Keep one on a windowsill through a full lunar cycle to watch how the light changes with the season, or carry it loose in a pocket on a night when the moon itself is hard to see. A gentle stone, best met at an angle.