Moonstones and the Mystique of Light
Few gemstones carry the ethereal quality and emotional subtlety of moonstones. Their appearance is so delicate, so luminous, that it’s easy to forget you’re looking at a mineral born of the Earth. When held up to light, a moonstone appears to glow from within, as if it has trapped the pale breath of the moon itself. This phenomenon—adularescence—is a kind of optical ballet, the result of light scattering between internal layers of feldspar. But to reduce it to science would be to miss its soul. Adularescence is the poetry that lives between light and stone. It’s a visible metaphor for dream states, inner knowing, and everything in between the tangible and the mysterious.
Historically, moonstones have been revered across cultures. In Hindu mythology, they were believed to be solidified moonbeams, and in Roman times, they were closely associated with the lunar gods. This mysticism has carried through centuries, making moonstones more than just decorative gems—they’ve been symbols of protection, intuition, and transformation. In the Art Nouveau era, master jewelers like René Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany celebrated moonstones for their subtle glow and spiritual overtones, often pairing them with other equally dreamy materials like enamel and opal. These early twentieth-century pieces, with their intricate metalwork and flowing organic shapes, gave physical form to the intangible: dreams, femininity, and the divine.
But time, and the fragility of moonstone itself, have made antique examples increasingly rare. Moonstones rank only 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, which means they are soft and prone to scratching or internal cracking over the years. As a result, collectors face a dwindling supply of vintage pieces in pristine condition. The few that do survive are now considered treasures—relics of a design philosophy that once revered delicacy and metaphysical meaning.
Yet rather than fading into the past, moonstones have found new resonance in the present. Their softness, both in hue and symbolism, seems to stand in quiet defiance of an age defined by hard edges and algorithmic perfection. In an era dominated by tech sleekness and instant gratification, moonstones offer a counterpoint—something slow, mysterious, and soulfully imperfect.
A Modern Renaissance of Moonstone Design
The resurgence of moonstone in contemporary jewelry isn’t just a nostalgic nod to the past—it’s a bold reinterpretation of what the stone can mean today. Designers are no longer confined by the florid, vine-like motifs of Art Nouveau or the symmetry of Victorian craft. Instead, they are using moonstones as storytelling devices in their own right, setting them in bold, architectural frames or allowing them to float almost weightlessly in open-space settings.
This shift toward minimalism doesn’t strip moonstones of their magic; rather, it enhances it. By giving the stone more visual breathing room, today’s jewelers emphasize its ethereal quality. A smooth cabochon set in a stark, matte gold bezel evokes a kind of lunar silence. A geometric ring featuring an angular moonstone might suggest the phases of the moon in motion or even the quiet passage of time. What was once soft and ornamental is now commanding and self-assured—though still elegantly restrained.
Part of this modern renaissance is thanks to technological innovation. Advances in lapidary techniques mean moonstones can now be cut with an eye toward maximizing their adularescence. Rather than defaulting to traditional domed cabochons, cutters are experimenting with flat faces, angled facets, and freeform silhouettes. These techniques draw out unique personalities from each stone, sometimes emphasizing a single ribbon of blue light or revealing complex internal clouding that resembles nebulae.
Another reason for the stone’s contemporary popularity is the shifting cultural climate around value and aesthetics. Younger buyers, especially millennials and Gen Z consumers, are looking for jewelry that tells a story or reflects their beliefs. For many, moonstones embody personal symbolism—an emotional talisman rather than just a status object. In this way, moonstones align with broader trends toward intentional living, sustainability, and emotional resonance.
You’ll find moonstones adorning stackable rings with asymmetrical bands, suspended in earrings that mimic planetary orbits, or embedded in pendants etched with phases of the moon. The focus is less on perfection and more on emotional texture. This is not jewelry that demands admiration from others—it is jewelry meant to be lived in, to age with you, to absorb the warmth of your skin and the stories of your days.
This sense of quiet intimacy makes moonstones especially popular in alternative bridal jewelry. For brides who find diamonds too conventional or too detached from personal meaning, moonstones offer a poetic substitute. Their soft luminosity feels more organic, more in tune with love’s subtleties. And their long history of spiritual association makes them a compelling choice for vows that seek something sacred beyond sparkle.
Emotional Jewelry for a Restless World
Perhaps more than ever, people are turning to jewelry not just as adornment but as emotional infrastructure. In a world filled with noise and velocity, moonstones invite stillness. They do not dazzle; they glow. They don’t impose; they invite. Wearing one can feel like keeping a secret close to your heart—a whisper rather than a shout, a sensation rather than a symbol.
This is part of why moonstones are making their way into more personal, everyday contexts. No longer confined to evening wear or curated collections, moonstone pieces are showing up in capsule wardrobes, worn with linen blouses and scuffed jeans, or tucked under the cuff of a cozy cardigan. They are the antidote to trends that scream for attention, offering instead a quiet kind of presence.
Contemporary moonstone jewelry also supports the rise of jewelry-as-self-care. Much like aromatherapy or journaling, putting on a moonstone ring can feel like a grounding ritual—a tactile reminder of your inner landscape. The stone’s long-standing association with intuition and feminine energy has made it a favorite among those looking to cultivate deeper emotional clarity or spiritual grounding. Moonstone is often recommended for those going through life transitions, such as motherhood, career change, or personal transformation. Its energy is not forceful; it is encouraging, like a gentle hand on your back as you step into the unknown.
Designers and wearers alike are increasingly tapping into this potential. Small-batch jewelers are infusing their collections with meaning, creating moonstone pieces inspired by lunar cycles, dreams, and emotional growth. Some artisans pair moonstone with other intuitive stones—like labradorite, opal, or rose quartz—to create jewelry that feels almost like a curated emotional toolkit. These pieces are not just accessories; they are artifacts of intention.
This shift also aligns with the broader evolution of luxury. Where once luxury was defined by carat size and exclusivity, it is now being redefined by mindfulness, experience, and emotional depth. A moonstone necklace, carefully chosen and worn close to the heart, offers a different kind of richness. It is luxury that doesn’t need validation. It is softness in a world of spectacle.
For collectors, moonstones represent a future heirloom—something that will carry not only the patina of years but the emotional fingerprints of the wearer. Each scratch, each polish, each moment worn in joy or sorrow becomes part of the stone’s quiet biography. When passed down, it will not be remembered for its price but for the stories it holds. That is the true magic of moonstone—not just in how it looks, but in how it makes you feel.
In a cultural moment that often celebrates loudness, moonstones embody something braver: subtlety. They are for those who find beauty in nuance, who crave meaning over dazzle, who know that the most powerful stories are often told in hushed tones. The allure of moonstone in contemporary jewelry is not simply about design innovation or fashion trends. It is about a collective return to intimacy, to the poetry of objects, to the slow burn of wonder.
The Timeless Spirit of Moonstones
Long before gemology ever gave names to optical effects, long before science unveiled the molecular secrets of feldspar, there were civilizations that simply knew—instinctively—that moonstones were not ordinary. The Romans believed they were birthed from beams of moonlight caught in solid form. To them, the stone was a gift from the gods, a shard of the night sky frozen in time. In the sacred texts and rituals of ancient Hindu traditions, moonstones were held in deep reverence, considered to be symbols of wisdom, prophecy, and dreams. The stone was said to hold the spirit of the moon itself, its waxing and waning rhythms mirroring the cycles of human emotion and intuition.
There is something deeply human in this instinctual connection to moonstones—a recognition that some things do not need to be understood to be felt. Before laboratory analysis, before Mohs hardness or refractive indices, moonstones were seen as living things, breathing softly with light. They were placed in talismans, embedded into crowns, worn against the skin by priestesses and seers. These were not objects of vanity; they were bridges between the known and the unknowable.
Across millennia and continents, the moonstone continued to shift in cultural meaning while retaining its essential symbolism. In the East, it was often seen as a harmonizer—a bringer of balance and tranquility. In the West, particularly in Romantic and Victorian times, it emerged as a symbol of tender love, often given in tokens of affection or mourning. For many, moonstones captured the aching beauty of ephemeral things—of love that lingers even when lost, of dreams just out of reach.
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the moonstone had been embraced by the Art Nouveau movement, its soft glow perfectly aligned with the era’s obsession with nature, mysticism, and emotional depth. Designers like René Lalique and Georges Fouquet used moonstones in flowing compositions that mimicked vines, mist, and dew. Here, the stone’s purpose was not just to shine—it was to speak. And what it spoke of was the subconscious, the intuitive, the dreamlike.
To trace moonstones through history is to trace the history of our collective yearning—for understanding, for enchantment, for something beyond the utilitarian. Even in modern times, that desire hasn’t waned. We may no longer cast spells under the moon or consult oracles in temples, but we still reach for meaning in the things we wear. We still want magic, and moonstones offer it in their quiet way.
Modernity’s Embrace of Moonstone’s Ancient Soul
In the present day, the symbolism of the moonstone is being reframed in striking new ways. It is no longer confined to antique lockets or sentimental brooches tucked into drawers—it’s stepping out into the sun, quite literally, through the hands of contemporary designers who are redefining what preciousness means. In a world obsessed with clarity and spectacle, the moonstone’s milky surface and elusive shimmer offer a form of visual and emotional reprieve.
Today’s luxury no longer screams status—it whispers meaning. This is where moonstones excel. They have become the signature of a new class of adornment: jewelry that expresses inner life rather than outward wealth. A moonstone ring on a finger isn't merely a style choice; it's a confession of one’s relationship with introspection, vulnerability, and wonder. The revival of moonstones is not about repeating old styles; it is about reinterpreting old truths.
Where once moonstones were surrounded by ornate gold filigree, today they rest in curved metal cradles that speak of silence, space, and modernism. Designers are exploring the tension between rawness and refinement, placing unpolished moonstone cabochons into open bezel settings or mixing them with rough-hewn materials like oxidized silver and brushed brass. Some pieces even leave the back of the setting open, allowing light to pass through the stone and accentuate its ephemeral glow. This interplay between material and metaphysical creates a kind of wearable art—designs that don’t just decorate the body, but echo its inner tides.
The emphasis is now on experience—how the piece feels on the body, how the light plays across it in different hours of the day, how it resonates emotionally in the quiet moments of dressing or reflecting. A moonstone necklace, when chosen with care, can become a small ritual of daily grounding. A moonstone bracelet may feel like an invisible thread connecting the wearer to something greater than themselves. This is emotional architecture in the form of jewelry—deliberate, intimate, profound.
In terms of form, there is an unmistakable shift toward negative space. Rather than crowding the stone with ornament, modern jewelers let the void speak. A ring may feature a floating moonstone cradled by only two narrow bands, giving it the illusion of weightlessness. Earrings might suspend a single oval cabochon from a barely-there wire, allowing it to sway with the wearer’s breath. These negative spaces invite light to do its work and allow the moonstone’s adularescence to become an active element of the piece.
Such restraint is not a limitation—it is a kind of reverence. It signals that the stone itself is enough. It doesn't need to compete with diamonds, to be oversized or ostentatious. It just needs to be seen, held, and allowed to speak in its own soft language.
Moonstones as Symbols of Self and Sky
One of the most exciting dimensions of moonstone jewelry today is its powerful alignment with personal mythology. It has moved beyond decorative wear into the realm of symbolic living. People are choosing jewelry not only for how it looks, but for what it holds—emotionally, cosmically, spiritually. In this new paradigm, moonstones have become amulets for the soul.
Lunar motifs—like crescent moons, constellation maps, or solar halos—are in high demand, not simply because they are beautiful, but because they provide context for the moonstone’s role in the greater cosmos. A ring shaped like an eclipse with a glowing moonstone at its center may serve as a metaphor for cyclical growth, for light emerging from shadow. A pendant shaped like a waxing moon may symbolize renewal, hope, or the gradual becoming of something new. These are not superficial adornments. They are statements of belief, markers of passage, tokens of transition.
Astrology has played a part in this resurgence. As people increasingly turn to natal charts, moon phases, and cosmic archetypes for meaning and guidance, jewelry has followed suit. Moonstone is often associated with the zodiac signs of Cancer and Pisces—both water signs, known for their emotional sensitivity and intuitive depth. But beyond the boundaries of astrology, the moonstone calls to anyone who has ever stared up at the night sky and felt something stir inside them.
There’s also a growing trend of wearing moonstone during pivotal life moments—engagements, births, new careers, creative breakthroughs. These stones act like mirrors, reflecting not just light but the internal states of those who wear them. They don't declare success or arrival; they embody the journey. This is perhaps why many choose moonstones over diamonds for engagement rings now. Where a diamond may symbolize permanence and tradition, a moonstone offers fluidity and emotional truth. It is a stone for those who see relationships not as trophies but as evolving constellations of love and learning.
Wearing moonstone becomes a way to externalize the internal—a quiet assertion of self-awareness and soulful integrity. It connects the wearer to something bigger than the current moment. In times of chaos, it can feel like an anchor. In times of joy, it feels like celebration. Its glow is never overwhelming, but it is always present. Like the moon itself, it is a constant companion to those who seek meaning in the everyday.
Jewelry is rarely just about fashion. At its best, it is about memory, mood, and metaphor. In the case of moonstone, this is especially true. Whether drawn to it by spiritual leanings or aesthetic preferences, the wearer of moonstone is making a quiet declaration: I believe in softness. I believe in cycles. I believe that the things which shine don’t always need to be loud. They need only to be true.
The Fragile Brilliance of Moonstone Craftsmanship
To work with moonstone is to walk a tightrope between fragility and firelight. It is one of those rare gems that resists domination; it cannot be forced into brilliance by brute force or mechanical perfection. Its beauty lies in its subtlety, and that means the hands that shape it must move with empathy, not ego. Unlike diamonds or sapphires, which boast higher durability and can withstand the aggressive polish of industrial tools, moonstone sits much lower on the Mohs scale. It bruises easily, splits along hidden lines, and demands that each motion in its transformation be deliberate and reverent.
This fragility is not a flaw. It is a feature—a reminder that not all beauty is built to endure violence. Some splendors exist only through care and softness. For the lapidary, coaxing out the moonstone’s iconic adularescence is not about chiseling, grinding, or polishing with speed. It is about listening to the stone, identifying the layers where light can dance, and revealing its voice without cracking the shell. Each stone has a direction, a hidden grain. Cut it wrong, and the glow disappears. Cut it right, and you awaken something divine inside the mineral.
This delicate alchemy begins long before a jeweler ever sketches a design. It starts at the source—in the mines of India, Sri Lanka, or Madagascar, where moonstone is often unearthed from riverside silt or sedimentary layers. The raw forms are unassuming, sometimes mistaken for dull quartz or cloudy feldspar by the untrained eye. But for those who know, there is a telltale shimmer just beneath the surface, like light filtered through mist. That is the first moment of intimacy between human and stone, and it shapes the path of everything that follows.
Once in the hands of a skilled artisan, the transformation begins not with tools but with vision. What story does this moonstone want to tell? Is it a crescent, a full moon, a veil of fog or a flash of emotion frozen in crystal? The lapidary decides how to cut it, how high to dome the cabochon, whether to experiment with facets that might catch a different kind of glow. These choices are not arbitrary. They are acts of collaboration, conversations between craftsman and cosmos.
Sculpting Emotion: How Designers Breathe Life into Moonstones
Designing with moonstone is not merely a matter of setting it into a frame. It is about building a narrative. In contemporary high-end jewelry, the moonstone is no longer confined to polite oval cabochons perched in simple prongs. It has become the protagonist in bolder, more expressive creations—where metal and light, color and silence, all orbit the gem like celestial bodies around a star.
Consider how modern designers are using sculptural gold forms to echo the organic irregularities of the moon itself. Craters, eclipses, shadows—all find their echo in molten settings and undulating bezels. Some rings mimic phases of the moon with negative space and alternating gemstones, allowing the moonstone to serve as a visual climax within a cosmic storyline. Others embed the stone in a deep dish of brushed gold, turning it into a liquid orb that seems to hover rather than rest. The aesthetic is not symmetrical or safe. It is alive. It ripples with tension and release.
Color is another dimension through which artisans express the complexity of moonstone. Though the gem itself is often milky or translucent, it plays well with contrast. Black diamonds bring out its pale fire, while deep sapphires enhance its skyward aura. In bolder compositions, moonstone is paired with tourmalines, tsavorite garnets, or even enamel swirls that echo the aurora borealis. The result is not merely decorative—it is psychological. It evokes feelings, archetypes, stories not yet spoken.
There is an emotional sophistication in these pieces that is difficult to capture in words. Perhaps it is because moonstone feels more like a mood than a mineral. When set beside other stones, it does not compete—it complements. Its power is in how it reflects back the world around it, how it takes on the colors of sunrise or candlelight or sorrow. In this way, a well-designed moonstone piece becomes less a static object and more a mirror for the wearer’s inner weather.
Some of the most spellbinding examples of moonstone design emerge from jewelers who view their work not just as craftsmanship but as ritual. These are not factory pieces churned out for seasonal collections. They are labors of devotion. A cuff bracelet with a moonstone center might take weeks to shape, not because of technical difficulty but because every curve must feel right against the skin, every facet of the story must align. These are jewels that don’t just sit on the body—they settle into it like a remembered dream.
Such designers often play with scale and silhouette. Moonstones are placed off-center, suspended asymmetrically, or hidden behind overlapping sheets of metal. These strategies are not aesthetic flourishes—they are expressions of emotion. They suggest the complexity of human feeling: sometimes vulnerable, sometimes shadowed, sometimes luminous beyond logic. In this way, jewelry becomes not just adornment but autobiography.
Personal Mythologies and the Quiet Power of Detail
What sets moonstone jewelry apart in the luxury space is not just its design but its intimacy. More and more artisans are crafting pieces that contain secrets—elements hidden from public view, meant only for the wearer. These include engraved starbursts on the underside of a setting, initials folded into filigree, or inscriptions tucked into the interior rim of a ring. These details are rarely seen by others, but they matter deeply. They transform the piece from an object of beauty into a private ritual.
This is jewelry as emotional architecture. It is not built solely to impress; it is built to hold memory, to keep moments close. A woman may wear a moonstone pendant not for how it catches the light at a party, but for how it glows beside her collarbone when she’s alone. A man might commission a moonstone ring inscribed with a line of poetry he never recites aloud. These are the pieces that become talismans, not trophies. They are worn through decades, absorbing body heat and joy and heartbreak, until they become less about the stone and more about the life lived within it.
There is also something deeply empowering in the act of choosing such a piece. In a culture dominated by algorithms and marketing campaigns, selecting a moonstone jewel—especially one with hidden symbols—feels like an act of self-definition. You are not being sold a lifestyle. You are crafting your own mythology. You are choosing meaning over dazzle, depth over trend. And in doing so, you step into a lineage of storytellers, mystics, and artists who have long used stones not as currency but as conversation.
What emerges is a new definition of luxury. Not opulence. Not excess. But resonance. A kind of quiet power that lives in the space between light and shadow, in the flicker of moonlight on skin. A moonstone bracelet engraved with a daughter’s birth date. A ring modeled after the lunar eclipse on the night of a first kiss. These are not designs—they are declarations of belonging, of becoming, of bearing witness.
And when these pieces are passed on—when they move from one hand to another, one heart to the next—they do not simply endure. They evolve. The stone that once marked a beginning may come to represent a healing. The pendant once worn for strength may become a symbol of legacy. In this way, moonstone jewelry refuses to stay still. It grows with us, mourns with us, shines with us. It is not made to impress the world. It is made to reflect the soul.
The Quiet Art of Wearing Moonstones
To style a moonstone is to embrace a softer kind of boldness—one that does not clamor for attention but draws the eye with quiet conviction. Moonstones do not dazzle with brute sparkle; they shimmer with suggestion. Their beauty lies in their restraint, and as such, they invite the wearer to do the same. They are most at home with minimalist palettes, clean lines, and clothing that whispers rather than roars. Think ivory blouses, linen in shades of driftwood, or the inky depth of midnight silk. Moonstones respond to texture, to movement, to light—the more ambient the styling, the more pronounced their voice.
Unlike more traditional gemstones that demand a central stage, moonstones are collaborative. They do not dominate a look; they converse with it. A single moonstone ring on an otherwise bare hand can act like punctuation—a full stop that draws meaning from everything around it. Layering a moonstone pendant with a series of fine chains adds dimension, while preserving intimacy. Drop earrings that catch the light only as you turn your head serve as moments of cinematic subtlety, not spectacle.
In this sense, moonstone styling becomes a meditation on presence. It asks the wearer not what they want to show the world, but what they wish to feel. A softly glowing cabochon nestled at the base of the throat can serve as an emotional touchstone during a difficult day. A moonstone bracelet, brushed lightly against the skin during conversation, can anchor one’s thoughts or offer unspoken encouragement. These are not adornments of display. They are adornments of depth.
The beauty of moonstone lies not in its loudness, but in its resonance. It doesn’t project; it reflects. And in a time where so much of fashion revolves around the fast, the filtered, and the fleeting, the moonstone remains timeless. It is best worn by those who understand that quiet is not the absence of power—it is its most distilled form.
Dressing with Intention in the Age of Overwhelm
We live in an age of algorithms, where clothing and jewelry are often chosen to match the pace of scrolling rather than the pulse of the heart. Trends flare up and die out in days. Shiny things flood our feeds, only to vanish into the digital ether. In this landscape, the choice to wear a moonstone feels almost radical. It is a rejection of immediacy. A return to slowness. A recommitment to the self.
This is the true luxury of moonstones. Not their rarity, though fine specimens are increasingly difficult to source. Not their price, which can vary widely depending on origin, clarity, and cut. Their luxury is emotional. A moonstone is not about acquisition. It is about alignment. When one wears a moonstone, they are not just decorating a body. They are affirming a value system—one that prizes nuance over novelty, serenity over spectacle.
Brides especially have turned toward moonstone in recent years, not as a trend but as a declaration. In choosing a moonstone engagement ring, a bride is often saying: I value change, emotion, and the uncharted journey. She may reject the hard, brilliant certainties of diamonds for something more fluid, more romantic, more personal. This is not a statement against tradition—it is a refinement of it. Love, after all, is not static. Why should the symbol of it be?
Similarly, fashion stylists and creators who adopt moonstones are often those curating wardrobes around experience rather than exhibition. Moonstones look best when worn with awareness—when the outfit is not meant to impress but to express. These stones pair with heirloom fabrics, with garments made by hand, with pieces chosen over time rather than purchased on impulse. The more intentional the wardrobe, the more deeply the moonstone resonates within it.
There is also something to be said for how moonstones resist perfection. Their surfaces are often silky but not glass-smooth. Their internal structures can resemble mist, water, smoke—things that are inherently shifting. This imperfection is part of their poetry. In styling them, one learns to honor that irregularity. Moonstone jewelry does not ask the wearer to be flawless. It invites them to be real.
And perhaps this is the most compelling aspect of wearing moonstones today. In a time where we are encouraged to curate every inch of ourselves—to filter, to retouch, to perfect—the moonstone offers a different proposition. It says: Come as you are. Change as you must. Glow in your own way.
The Moonstone as a Companion in Modern Life
To own a moonstone is not to possess it, but to enter into a relationship with it. These are not passive objects. They live. They respond. They evolve with their wearer. A moonstone ring worn every day will begin to carry the warmth of its owner’s skin, the impressions of their movements, the memory of their gestures. Over time, it becomes less about the stone and more about the story it holds.
This is why so many people describe their moonstone jewelry in emotional terms. It is not uncommon to hear wearers say they feel calmer, more centered, more intuitive when wearing their favorite piece. While this may sound like sentiment or symbolism, it is also a reflection of ritual. To put on a moonstone each morning is to begin the day with intention. To take it off at night is to close a chapter. These acts, repeated daily, become ceremonies of the self.
And because moonstones carry such personal significance, they are often given at pivotal moments. A mother may gift a moonstone pendant to her daughter as she begins a new chapter. A partner may present a moonstone ring not to mark ownership, but to honor transformation. A friend may choose moonstone earrings to celebrate survival, rebirth, or creative awakening. These gifts do not scream celebration. They whisper solidarity.
Even in solitude, moonstones serve. They can act as private anchors—worn during journaling, meditation, long walks. They hold silence well. They listen. And because they glow most beautifully in soft or natural light, they remind us to slow down and notice the atmosphere around us. To pay attention not just to what we wear, but to how we live.
In the chaos of modernity, moonstones offer an emotional north star. Their symbolism—fluidity, intuition, connection—mirrors the inner landscapes we so often neglect. They are not tools for transformation, but witnesses to it. They do not fix us. They affirm us. And that is perhaps their greatest magic.
When you choose a moonstone, you are choosing more than a gem. You are choosing to be present with yourself. To honor the process over the product. To see beauty not as something worn to be seen by others, but something lived in, felt deeply, and carried quietly.
Moonstones are not just jewelry. They are experiences made visible.
They do not trend—they transcend.
And in a world that is too fast, too loud, and too artificial, that kind of luminous presence might be the most radical style statement of all.