Hello Everyone! I cannot believe it's already June! I did take a while to decide on writing this blogpost, but I've taken a lot of time off from work during the circuit breaker so I did get to spend a lot of time with my own crystal collection, reading up on crystals that I wanted to get and just exploring some local crystal shops on instagram! To those who voted for the 7-in-1 blogpost, here it is! Thank you to everyone who voted too!
Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert on crystals, but I am very enthusiastic about them. I will gladly share the limited knowledge that I have on the mentioned crystals for all you curious readers. but just know that there's so much scientific information on crystals (Hardness - Mohs scale, chemical composition/formulae, lustre streak, refractive index etc) as well as spiritual/divinatory information (crystal grids, meditation, elixirs, reiki etc).
Different crystals have different uses, some are soluble in water, some are TOXIC in water, some should not be exposed to sunlight (this can cause discolouration), some should not be exposed to salt/saltwater and some are man-made. Some crystals come in varying shades of a single colour or come in multiple colours too. I'm still learning new things about my own crystals every day and I don't expect to stop learning about them any time soon. I've been asked about my crystal collection and what I actually do with my crystals, so I guess I will mention that a bit while I share my 7 favourite crystals!
With that being said, let's get on with the blogpost!
AMETHYST
This is probably one of the most common crystals and I find it to be a good beginner crystal as well. It's very readily available and there are affordable and expensive options. A lot of the times, crystals are sold by their weight and also by their quality grade (I'm quite sure there's a proper term for this though). I'd say Amethyst would be a crystal that I have the most variety of in terms of shape/style. I do have two Amethyst spheres which aren't pictured here too and another smaller tower which I like to use in grid work alongside the small raw points in the picture. Amethysts are one of the crystals that should not be exposed to too much sunlight as their purple colours will fade. I've seen some people saying that their amethyst turns a dull grey after being put near the window over long periods of time.
Amethyst is part of the quartz family (as most of my favourites are), and from what I know, are naturally found mostly as geodes in various sizes. There are a big variety of Amethysts such as Chevron Amethyst/Cape Amethyst, which is a mixture of Amethyst and Milky Quartz and you can see white 'chevrons' forming in the crystal. There is also Ametrine which is actually a combination of Amethyst and Citrine, I think this is a very common variation too, I see it more often than Chevron Amethysts. These variations have very slight variations to their healing 'benefits' or 'properties', but the chemical compound is still a silicon dioxide. There are other variations such as Pink Amethyst, where the shade of lilac is very faint - almost to a pink, I've personally never seen this variation but I know you can find it online!
As for its relevance to divination, it's a good healing crystal (in my opinion), and its energies are generally easy to work with. For beginners, I recommend that you get your crystals from a physical store because you should pick the crystal up and see how it makes you feel, but there is always nothing wrong with buying online, but make sure you do your research! Amethyst provides a lot of soothing energies, it dissipates anger and stress, it's generally good for times when you need to feel calm and have a good night's sleep. Some people say this crystal is good for protection against psychic attacks, but I've not really felt the need to use my Amethysts specifically for protection. I very much prefer to use them for their soothing properties! Amethyst is also associated with the Crown Chakra which represents your cosmic awareness and highest form of spirituality.
BLACK TOURMALINE
I've not worked with Black Tourmaline for a long time, but I've come to enjoy its energy a lot. I think this is another staple in your crystal collection, and this is my go-to stone for protection. This stone comes in a variation of colours. I've seen pink tourmalines in online shops but not so much in the physical shops that I frequent. If I'm not wrong, gem-quality Pink Tourmaline is also known as Rubelite, the shades differ slightly, but they're technically the same thing but of different grades. I also discovered that there's green tourmaline which I've never actually seen before, but I've come across it being mentioned in some YouTube videos. I've also read about Brown, Blue and Watermelon (literally, imagine a crystal that's green, clear and pink) but I've never seen them in real life or seeing them in online shops as much. There is also Tourmalinated Quartz which is basically Clear Quartz with Tourmaline inclusions, these are really beautiful crystals!
Tourmalines usually come in the raw form, I've got a raw chunk and some lightly tumbled nuggets in the photo above. The nuggets are what I use for my grids. Like most crystals, Tourmaline is also formed deep underground and is created when natural liquids cool and crystalise over time. I'm not too sure about Tourmaline's chemical compound, but you can see from it's structure that it's a different family from Amethyst. Tourmaline is just as hard as Amethyst (according to the their values on the Mohs scale), but it is more brittle. A lot of times when you work with Tourmaline pieces, small bits may break off over time. I don't handle my big chunk too often so it has not broken on me yet, but I've had the small ones chip here and there.
Black Tourmaline is associated with the Base/Root Chakra which represents your sense of security and your relation to the physical world. Black Tourmaline is known to repel and protect against negative energies while attracting positive energies. It is also a good grounding stone (other coloured tourmalines are associated with different chakras, depending on their colours), so if you find yourself in your own head too much, Black Tourmaline could be something you'd like to get. This is also one of those crystals that should not be cleansed with water because it does degrade the crystal over time. I think you can wipe it down with a damp cloth but you probably should not submerge it in water for too long. There are articles that say you can put them in water, but parts of tourmaline can be dissolved in water, so the crystal will probably be ruined if you do so!
CITRINE
Citrine is another crystal from the quartz family, and previously we talked about Ametrine which is a combination of Citrine and Amethyst. Citrine is a little tricky in my opinion because natural citrine is rare, so a lot of miners heat treat Amethyst and sell them as Citrine. From what I know, Smokey Citrines (the two darker towers in my picture) are heat-treated Smokey Quartz, so its a similar thing to the ones that come from Amethyst. It doesn't really take a ridiculously high temperature to make this change, so I'm not surprised that heat-treated citrine is more readily available and is a lot more affordable.
Honestly, I'm still not 100% sure how to tell whether it's natural or heat-treated citrine. I've watched loads of videos and read up about it (that's how I know the heat-treated ones even existed lol) but I still find it a bit difficult to tell them apart at times. Generally, heat-treated citrine from Amethyst will have a lot of white at its base and a dark honey colour on the other, just like the small tumbled pieces in the picture.
I'm not too picky when it comes to my citrine pieces simply because I know natural Citrine is relatively hard to come by and to me, I will work with it as a Citrine either way. Some crystal collectors frown upon this, but I really think it is up to you! But if you think about it, Ametrine exists because the piece of amethyst was near a natural heat source underground before being mined and part of it became natural Citrine, so technically, it's the same theory, just that heat-treated Citrine is heated by man but Ametrine is heated by nature. The only time I feel it's not okay is when people sell heat-treated citrine as natural citrine (the prices are quite different), so you might want to know more about what you are buying so you don't get swindled.
Now, for some of its healing/spiritual properties. Citrine is known as the happy stone and is also known to help attract and maintain wealth. Citrine is related to the Solar Plexus Charka which represents self-esteem and personal power. Yellow is universally known as a happy colour so following that, Citrine is known to help with self-esteem as well as creating positive energy!
CLEAR QUARTZ
Yes, another quartz, and another 'basic' crystal. This is another crystal that I've personally found very easy to work with and it's one of the most versatile and useful crystals. Another must-have in your collection! I say its a versatile piece because it can be used to amplify the other crystals that you pair it with, or it can be used to cleanse your other crystals. I've heard of Amethyst being used for cleansing other crystals too but I've not given that a go. As you can see, most of my clear quartz pieces are points (as the majority of my crystals are), I use most of them with my grid work and to just place around to direct and cleanse energy.
I usually get attracted to clear quartz when I'm on my regular crystal hunting grounds. When I first started collecting crystals, I was told that picking the clearest crystal was the best way to pick, but looking at my pieces, that never really worked out for me. I do have a Clear Quartz tower that's exceptionally clear in my picture but it still has slight inclusions. I also just bought a piece of Fire & Ice Quartz (Clear Quartz that has been heated at a very high temperature then cooled quickly which causes the little 'crackles' to form) from Krsytalphilia yesterday so that says a lot about how I feel about inclusions. My advice is, go with your gut and like I said earlier, hold the crystal in your hand and see how it makes you feel if you can! I personally feel that you do not need a massive piece or the highest grade of crystal for it to do its 'job'. It's like how you surround yourself with the people in your life!
I don't have that much trivia on Clear Quartz apart from the fact that it's probably the most readily available and can be found in every continent of the world. If you're wondering, yes, quartz is also used in watches, so imagine how amazing crystals are, to be used in our modern technology! I'm not sure if quartz watches are still a thing though, clearly I'm not a watch person.
In terms of divination and spiritual healing, clear quartz is great for amplifying energies and intension, so when you work with Clear Quartz with another crystal, the Clear Quartz amplifies that other crystal's energy. Clear Quartz is also associated with the Crown Chakra, but can also be used to balance and help open up other chakras as well. It helps to clear mental blockages so if you have a cluttered mind, try meditating with Clear Quartz.
LABRADORITE
Now, we're diving into a crystal that is from the feldspar family! There are two main divisions in the feldspar family and I'm not too familiar with the divisions, but again, it has to do with the chemical compositions. I'll say it now, I'm not entirely sure how Feldspars are formed and what their exact chemical compositions are, apart from the fact that they are also a sort of silicate mineral with a lot more elements in them.
Feldspars are known to have these 'flashes' seemingly just below the surface, also known as adularescence or schiller. Labradorite is known for the colourful 'flashes' or 'labradorescence' (I personally don't hear/see this particular word being used often). Most of the Labradorite pieces I own have predominantly blue and purple flashes, because it's what I personally like. There are also rainbow, red/pink and orange variants of these flashes. There is also another crystal known as gold labradorite, which I assume is rarer than regular labradorite because I've not really seen it outside of my books.
I never knew there were different ways to pronounce it, and honestly, I'm still confused. I've always been saying LABradorite, but some people say laBRAdorite (as in le-BREH-dorite), and I've heard both being used in various youtube videos so I really don't know if it has anything to do with the region you come from or whatever. But honestly, it doesn't really matter as long as you know what it looks like and how to spell it.
When I first started collecting crystals, I never really saw Labradorites in shops, but a few years later, I noticed that they are really common. I used to go to a specific shop just to get my Labradorite pieces. All my bigger pieces were from her shop, so it was kind of nice to see more shops selling Labradorite pieces too, they did start with small palm stones and smaller towers, but I'm quite sure they do stock bigger pieces now too. I suppose Labradorite has become more popular over the years!
Labradorites are good spiritual protectors, in my opinion. They protect your aura, raise your spiritual consciousness and also ground spiritual energies. They're also good in raising your intuition. I feel that Labradorites are easy to work with as long as your intentions are very clear. For those of you out there who just want a pretty crystal to give you good vibes and impress house guests from time to time, Labradorites can be a good companion. Since Labradorites predominantly have blue flashes, they are often associated with the Throat Chakra which represents how vocal we are and how well we communicate, or the Third Eye Chakra which represents our intuition and indight.
RAINBOW MOONSTONE
This is probably my absolute favourite, I love Rainbow Moonstone so much that I designed my instagram story highlight covers with Rainbow Moonstone. Moonstone is also part of the feldspar family, and I've read that it is also known as White Labradorite, mostly because it has blue flashes as well. It's also one of the rarer crystals, I have a number of jewellery pieces with rainbow moonstone, but having the crystal itself as a larger piece is difficult to come by as I have yet to see them in physical stores. Out of all my moonstone pieces, I only bought a pair of stud earrings (which I wear daily) from a physical shop. I'm currently looking for a relatively large sphere, but Rainbow Moonstones are expensive, so I doubt I'd get it anytime soon.
There are a few variations of moonstone that I am aware of - peach and black. I don't own any Peach Moonstone pieces, but I do own a Black Moonstone tower which I got from 2two.stones. I might consider picking up a Peach Moonstone tower if I see one that tickles my fancy, but so far I haven't found anything that I've liked. Peach and Black Moonstones mostly have silver flashes, but I feel the Rainbow Moonstone still impresses me the most and again, it's a stone that I absolutely adore. There are also Blue Moonstones, which have the blue flashes as well but are in a clear crystal, instead of a milky white crystal, like how Rainbow Moonstones are.
Rainbow Moonstones emit loving and feminine energies and is also known to help with intuition and psychic perception. It is also known to help restore balance, reduce stress and promote creativity, compassion and self-confidence. As its name suggests, Rainbow Moonstones are associated with the Moon which also gives of feminine energy, I personally prefer to work with my Moonstone pieces during the full moon. Rainbow Moonstone is predominantly a white crystal so it is associated with the Crown Chakra.
ROSE QUARTZ
The final one and a recent favourite! A lot of my friends who know about my crystal collection know that I've been looking for a rose quartz sphere and large tower for a long time! I did eventually find the pieces that I was looking for, I got them from 2two.stones and if you watched my unboxing on instagram, you'd know I got another rose quartz item from her. Rose Quartz is easy to find and can be affordable, but I never really found a piece that I really loved previously so I didn't buy any Rose Quartz items in a while. I've had a few pieces of rose quartz over the years, but as I've said, they recently became a favourite! One of my first crystal items was my Rose Quartz gua sha massager which I use until today. Obviously, this is another one from the quartz family, and I think it makes an excellent beginner crystal as well.
They are probably one of the most popular crystals because they are known to attract love, some people know them as the 'love' or 'romance' stone, probably because they have such a beautiful shade of pink. Like I mentioned before, they're common crystals, so you can find them in all sorts of shapes, sizes and qualities. The sphere that I bought from 2Two.Stones is actually a Star Rose Quartz, which means it has a 6 point star when you shine light at it in certain angles.
Apart from attracting love, rose quartz can also be used as a crystal for self-love (which is what I personally like to use it for). It helps to clear out anger, jealousy and resentment, which is great for people who have had a recent breakup, who are looking to improve their current relationship or are just trying to work on themselves. Rose Quartz is associated with the Heart Chakra, which represents love and affection.
SPECIAL MENTIONS:
RED JASPER (TOP), GARDEN QUARTZ (BOTTOM LEFT), LEPIDOLITE (BOTTOM RIGHT)
I'd just like to briefly mention 3 crystals that I think some others might really like. I didn't really consider these my absolute favourites because I've not explored working with them as much as I have with the rest and clearly, I resonate with my top 7 more than with these 3. But I guess you can say these are my top 10.
Red Jasper
I've not really mentioned a Jasper in my favourites because I never really gravitated much to them, but I've got a few pieces here and there. I use small pieces for grid work, and the sphere happened to catch my eye when I was on a crystal hunt, so I decided to get it. I'm not too sure about the price ranges of Jaspers. There are a huge variety, I think one of the most popular variants are Ocean Jaspers, which have a variety of colours! I bought a few pieces of Ocean and Polychrome Jasper from Krsystalphilia recently too. Red jasper is associated with the Base Chakra, which (like I mentioned before) represents your relation to the physical world and sense of security. It helps to provide emotional stamina, self-awareness and emotional protection. If you're in a tough spot and require a boost in confidence, this could be a good crystal to work with.
Garden Quartz
I received my first two pieces of Garden Quartz from my aunt when I was having trouble transitioning from a fresh grad to a working adult. I'd say this crystal did help to clear my mind and help me discover what I really wanted to achieve and eventually helped me overcome some of the tougher times in my life. I also bought a smaller specimen from CrystalTales which should be arriving in the mail sometime in June! Garden Quartz has many alternate names, such as Scenic Quartz, Lodolite or Lodalite. This is actually a Clear Quartz crystal with various inclusions, the pieces that I won mostly have green, black and brown inclusions but I know there are some that have more colourful inclusions. I'm not too sure on which chakra Garden Quartz is commonly associated with, but my guesses are that it's anywhere between the Heart and Base Chakras!
Lepidolite
I discovered this crystal when I was trying to customise a crystal box for my bestie when she was still studying alone in Korea. I do quite like Lepidolite but this crystal, in particular, was a little tricky for me to get my hands on, but I've noticed some local instagram shops bringing them in recently and I did get a smaller one from Krystalphilia for my grids. But prior to that, I got my Lepidolite pieces from Etsy and they aren't cheap. I'm not sure if they are actually rare or just happened to be more popular recently. I've not really seen them in my local physical shops too. It's one of the best mood stabilising crystals and is associated with the Third Eye Chakra which represents our Intuition. I'm not sure about their chemical formula, but I know they contain Lithium, but don't worry, it won't be released if you run the crystal under water as Lepidolite isn't water-soluble.
If you're still reading, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read this entire blogpost. I started collecting crystals when I was in Poly but I wasn't this crazy until I went to Uni. Over the years I found that I gravitated towards certain types of crystals, most of them are very easily found in your local stores, some, not so! I've been asked where I get my crystals from, and I've got at least 80% of my crystals from physical shops, and when I travel, I try to find crystal shops so that I can bring back a piece or two (or three.. or four..). In case you're wondering, I never took notice of the names of the shops, but I frequent the stretch along Race Course Road.
The ones I've bought online were the rarer pieces and they're almost always from Etsy. The circuit breaker did give me a chance to explore local shops that sold crystals on their instagram pages like the three I've mentioned. I've never really thought about browsing through these shops but eventually, I caved in and now I stalk their feeds/stories regularly. I've looked through quite a few other shops as well but I don't think I'll be really exploring any more because its hard to keep track of so many, and these three shops, in particular, have been bringing in amazing pieces that have piqued my interest. I did buy quite a bit from each shop during the circuit breaker and I did contemplate on doing a haul, but I decided not to because I'm not sure when my crystals will reach me, so I will probably be doing more unboxings on my IGTV!
I hope you guys found this blogpost informative, and if you have any questions, you can always ask me or just google it yourself because there are so many websites and youtube channels that talk about crystals. Books are also great, but my guess is no one will be buying a book as I did. I need to end the post here, it's got way too long! I hope June treats you guys well! Till my next blogpost!
xx
Shayne