Rainbow Moonstone 11x40mm Faceted Marquise

Roll it under the light and find the blue.

On the strand it reads almost white, a row of small glassy panes with a little cloud held inside each one. Then you tilt the string toward a window and the blue arrives, bead after bead, and switches off again as you turn away. That tilt is why people reach for it. A few beads carry a flick of gold or violet along one edge. Cut with facets, the sheen breaks into short bright points instead of one soft billow.

In Hindu mythology moonstone is described as solidified moonbeams, and cultures far from one another have tied the stone to moonlight. Old legends hold that it brings good luck, and it was once believed that holding a moonstone in your mouth during a full moon would let you see what was coming. In crystal tradition, rainbow moonstone is the stone of new beginnings, carried at thresholds and turning points, and people have long believed it steadies the person wearing it. Moonstone is a June birthstone, one of the original modern birthstones set in 1912, sharing the month with pearl and alexandrite. That connection is why it turns up so often in gifts given for a birthday or a start.

Beliefs about stones are tradition, not advice. Read the full story.