Stones that have themselves changed
Which stones for a time of change?
Moving house, a break-up, changing career, a child leaving: tradition has a list for that, and it is coherent in an unexpected way. All these stones are, geologically, stones that used to be something else.
Where the association comes from
From analogy, but an analogy that holds. Moldavite is Bavarian sand melted by an asteroid impact and fallen four hundred kilometres away. Serpentine is mantle rock transformed by water. Alexandrite changes colour with the light, green to red. Malachite is copper that has weathered. All of them have a before and an after, and the handbooks make use of it. Moldavite holds a place apart in contemporary lithotherapy, with a vocabulary of extraterrestrial origin that does not match the geology: the matter is terrestrial, it is the impact that was not.
The stones tradition offers
What tradition suggests doing
Keep it on you through the period, then put it away when it has passed. It is one of the rare uses where handbooks speak of a limited time, and even of a stone «too strong» to wear continuously, which is said above all of moldavite. Marking the beginning and the end of a period with an object is an old gesture, found far beyond stones.
What a stone does not do
A time of upheaval is crossed with people, time and often concrete decisions. An object can mark the passage, which is its oldest role. It decides for nobody, and if the period turns into a rut, talking about it beats changing stone.
The correspondences presented here belong to tradition and cultural heritage. They are in no way medical advice and never replace a consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Does moldavite come from space?
No, and that is the commonest confusion. Its chemistry is that of Bavarian sands: an asteroid impact melted and threw it. The asteroid itself was vaporised.
Does my alexandrite really change colour?
If it cost a few tens of euros, no: it is synthetic vanadium corundum, which shifts from blue-violet to pink. A real alexandrite goes from green to raspberry red and costs thousands per carat.
Can moldavite be worn continuously?
Handbooks say no, and it is one of the few stones they speak of that way. Technically, at hardness 5.5 and with a sculpted surface that carries all its value, daily wear would wear it out anyway.