igneous

Wishing Stone (Basalt with Quartz Vein)

Basalt containing a microcrystalline quartz (SiO2) or calcite vein

Hardness: 6-7 (basalt/quartz); Color: dark grey to black host rock with a white or cream stripe; Luster: dull to vitreous; Structure: fine-grained (aphanitic) host with crystalline vein; Cleavage: none.

Hardness: 6-7 (basalt/quartz)
Color: dark grey to black host rock with a white or cream stripe
Luster: dull to vitreous

Identified May 16, 2026More igneous →

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Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Formed when molten lava cools rapidly on the surface. The white stripe is a hydrothermal vein formed when mineral-rich water filled a crack in the rock and crystallized. Commonly tumbled smooth by river or ocean water.

Uses & applications

Primarily used as pocket stones, decorative beach decor, or in jewelry as pendants. Basalt itself is used in road base and construction.

Geological facts

In folklore, these are called Wishing Stones. If you find one with a continuous white line wrapping all the way around, it is said to grant a wish if you give it away to a friend or make a wish for yourself.

Field identification & locations

Identify it by looking for a dark, smooth, rounded pebble with a single, unbroken white line encircling it. Commonly found on cobble beaches and in riverbeds globally.

Other igneous specimens

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Blue Apatite

Fluorapatite (Ca5(PO4)3F)

mineral

Dark Igneous Rock (Likely Basalt or Diabase)

Basalt (extrusive igneous rock) or Diabase (intrusive igneous rock - also known as Dolerite), largely composed of plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene (augite), and sometimes olivine and amphibole. Exact mineralogy would require thin section analysis.

Igneous

Magnetite

Iron(II,III) oxide (Fe3O4)

mineral

Sodalite

Sodalite - Na8(Al6Si6O24)Cl2

mineral

Blue Apatite

Apatite (Group), Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH)

mineral

Magnetite

Magnetite (Fe3O4)

mineral