Welcome to Gaia! ::

I'm intending to run this thread as a Q&A. As my path has evolved into what it is what started off as a working crystal collection is being used less and less as a working collection and has become more a hobby. I don't have a set say of doing things when working with crystals, I never have, I have done what has felt right at the time, and used the crystal that called to me. I will answer what questions I can to the best of my ability and offer advice when it is asked for. I guess part of my reason for drifting away from the use of crystals in my working is the scammers out there to make a quick buck preying on the unwary. The more I've hug around with my geologist friends the quicker my use of crystals in my practice has waned. It's just one of those things I guess, we all fluctuate and evolve in our practices and this was just one way in which mine has changed since joining the guild.

This is my crystal inventory, I hoard crystals and they live, for the most part, on my altar, the photo included is a very old one.

I warn you its very very long



A:
Adventurine (peach)
Adventurine (green)
Agate (purple geode)
Agate (pink geode)
Agates (dyed)
Agate (moss)
Agate (Botswana)
Alexandrite
Amber (bug free)
Amber (with spider)
Amazonite (point pendant)
Amethyst (‘dragon egg’)
Amethyst (pineapple)
Amethyst (point pendant)
Amethyst (caduceus pendant)
Amethyst (raw)
Ametrine (point pendant)
Angelite (egg)
Apatite (low grade)
Apatite (gem grade)
Aquamarine
Aura Quartzes: Aqua, Opal, Pink, Violet
Aura Quartz: Aqua Aura doughnut pendant

B:
Bloodstone
Blue John (British fluorite)
Blue Lace Agate
Blue Lace Agate (drusy)
Blue Lace Agate (dragon scales)
Bownite (sold as, not sure if correct name)
Bronzite

C:
Calcite (amber)
Calcite (mango)
Cat’s eye (beads, blue, brown, green white)
Cat’s eye (blue)
Cavansite
Chalco Pyrite
Celestite
Charolite
Chiastolite (cross stone)
Cinnabar (dragon’s blood)
Citrine
Citrine (point pendant)
Citrine (chips)
Crysoprase
Crysocolla (Drusy)
Coal
Copper
Coral (white)

D:
Diopside
Dioptase

E:
Emerald (low grade)

F:
Fluorite (point pendant)
Fluorite (chinese)
Fluorite (blue)
Fluorite(green)
Fluorite (pink)
Fluorite (purple)
Fuchsite

G:
Galena
Galena (with quartz, pyrite and spelurite (unsure of spelling!) )
Garnet
Goldstone
Goldstone (green)
Granite (dyed)
Girasol (orb)

H:
Haematite (magnetic)
Haematite (point pendant)
Haematite (spectral)
Herkimer diamond
Hiddenite
Howlite (dyed blue)
Hypersthene

I:
Icelandic Spar (optical calcite)
Iron pyrite

J:
Jade (green)
Jasper (yellow)
Jasper (red)
Jasper (dalmatian)
Jet

K:
Kyanite (blue, wand)
Kyanite (blue, shard)
Kyanite (black, feather)
Kunzite (pink)

L:
Labradorite (blue)
Labradorite (white – rainbow moonstone)
Labradorite (purple)
Lapis lazuli
Lapis lazuli (point pendant)
Larimar
Lepidolite
Lodestone

M:
Malachite
Malachite (point pendant)
Magnesite
Merlinite
Mica
Moldavite
Molybdenite
Mookite
Moonstone
Morganite

N:
Nebula Stone

O:
Obsidian (Apache Tear)
Obsidian (black)
Obsidian (rainbow, orb)
Obsidian (mahogany)
Obsidian (opalised)
Obsidian (silver sheen, pendant)
Obsidian (silver sheen,)
Obsidian (snowflake)
Okenite
Opal (blue)
Opal (Ethiopian fire)
Opal (pink)
Opalite (heart)

P:
Peacock Ore (low grade)
Peacock Ore (high grade)
Petalite
Peridot (chips)
Pherenite (with epidote inclusions)
Pietersite

Q:
Quartz (aqua aura point pendant)
Quartz (aura points (aqua, angel, rose, violet)
Quartz (clear)
Quartz (clear ‘dragon egg’)
Quartz (clear point pendant)
Quartz (milky)
Quartz (rose point pendant)
Quartz (rose)
Quartz (rose pendulum)
Quartz (smokey point pendant)
Quartz (snow)
Quartz (tourmalated)

R:
Rhodonite
Ruby (low grade)

S:
Sapphire (gem quality, too small to cut)
Scolecite (high grade - looks similar to selenite)
Seraphite
Serpentine (‘new jade’)
Serpentine (Chop sticks)
Selenite (points x3)
Selenite (rod)
Soldalite (point pendant)
Soldalite
Smithsonite (greeny-blue variant)
Starstone
Starstone (orb)
Stilbite
Sugilite
Sunstone

T:
Tanzanite (raw gem quality)
Tektite
Tiger’s eye (blue)
Tiger’s eye (green)
Tiger’s eye (gold)
Tiger’s eye (gold, point pendant)
Tiger’s eye (red)
Tiger Iron
Topaz (blue)
Topaz (blue, chips)
Topaz (imperial)
Tourmaline (black)
Tourmaline (watermelon)
Turquoise

U:
Unakite

V:
Verdite

W:

X:

Y:

Z:

Useful Links

http://www.mindat.org/ - The mineralogy Database
http://the-vug.com/ - Another mineralogy website, contains lists of sellers in the USA

These are guides to spotting fakes

http://www.ebay.com/gds/BEWARE-Fake-Crystals-on-Ebay-Azeztulite-Glass-Smokey-/10000000002153722/g.html

http://hibiscusmooncrystalacademy.com/spotting-crystal-fakes-frauds/

http://www.the-vug.com/vug/vugfakes.html

http://www.fakeminerals.com/

Reserved

do you know of any place to get crystals at a decent price? there's a few I'm currently looking for

I buy mine directly from my friend Tony, he's a geologist.

If you look in the links I posted Vug has a list of crystal sellers.

Healing? depends on the aliment that needs to be targeted but clear quartz is a pretty versatile stone when it comes to empowering for different uses.

Protection? Black Tourmaline

Employment/Money? Jade, Bloodstone, Emerald

Chakra stones? I don't work with Chakra's so I am not completly sure but I would say: Root - Haemetite/ Lodestone; Sacral - Carnelian; Solar Plexus - Citrine; Heart - green tourmaline / malachite; Throat - Turquoise, Third Eye - Amethyst; Crown - Herkimer Diamond.

The only ones I knew about were the ones where you left a crystal in a blue container of rainwater for a night so the properties of the crystal were conveyed to the water then the elixir was drunk the following morning. Obviously you use crystals that are not water soluble. If I find which book the instructions were written in I'll type it up in the relevant forum.

Pick up anything nice?