When You Wish Upon a Stone ... Make It a Striped One

wishing stones — Wishing stones can be any color, size or shape, as long as they are encircled by a single, uninterrrupted white line. Mandah11/Shutterstock

You've heard it said that when you wish upon a star, your dreams will come true, right? But what about wishing upon a rock? Similar to finding a four-leaf clover, finding a wishing stone — a smooth pebble that has a single, uninterrupted white stripe all the way around it — is a rare occurence.

A wishing stone can be any size, color or shape as long as it fulfills that one requirement — it must have an uninterrupted, completely encircling band.

The white band, or vein, around a wishing stone is usually made out of quartz or calcite and can form due to pressure within the stone which creates a fracture. The fissure is then filled over time with an accumulation of calcium carbonate from water running over and through the rock.

Most of the ones you've seen probably have some white stripes or many faint white lines around them, but not the telltale encircling band. And sure, you can find some in bulk in an Etsy store, but that's not as fun as finding one yourself by fate.

Legend says that if you find a wishing stone and have it near you, you can make wishes to it and they will come true. Once the wish comes true, you pass the stone on to a friend to keep it going. There's no linear history to the origin of this legend, but it's often attributed to Celtic history.

According to Rock & Gem, "If you trace your finger around the line while closing your eyes and making a wish, then throw the stone into the sea as far as you can or give it to another person, your wish will come true. Make a wish on behalf of a person other than yourself; then ALL your wishes come true."

Where Can You Find Wishing Stones?

Wishing stones can really be found anywhere, but most people find them on shorelines and rocky beaches. Think the New England coast, such as in Maine and Massachusetts, or beaches along the English and Irish coasts. Sometimes they can be found along river beds as well. Wherever you find one, just consider yourself lucky, close your eyes and pass the good wishes on to someone else.