Does moonstone really hold the moon?

Hold a moonstone up to the window and tilt it. The soft blue light that rolls across the surface is called adularescence, and it is real: light scattering between thin layers of feldspar inside the stone. The thinner and more even the layers, the stronger the glow.

The moon part is the story people have told about it for a very long time. Roman naturalists wrote that moonstone was born of moonbeams. In India it has long been a gift for new beginnings. By the time it reached Victorian jewelry, it was the stone of lovers and of safe travel at night.

What people carry it for

Traditionally, moonstone is the stone of new beginnings and intuition. Many people carry one through a change they did not plan: a move, a new job, the first weeks after a loss. It is a quiet stone. It does not push, it reassures.

How to pick one

• Tilt it under a lamp. The flash should move as you turn it, not sit in one spot.
• Blue flash is the classic. Peach, grey and rainbow moonstone are their own moods and are often easier on the budget.
• Look for clean edges. Moonstone is on the softer side, so skip chipped pieces for jewelry.

We keep rainbow and peach moonstone in the tumbled bowls, and a few larger pieces in the case. Come hold one up to our window; it faces the right way in the morning. Moonstone tumbles are four dollars. Open Friday through Monday, 11 to 5.