a crystals & jewelry adventure

QUESTION: “I have two beautiful crystals in my kitchen windows. Recently, while I was cleaning them, I noticed that they both have a new ‘picture’ in them. Both of them. In the same spot. It looks like a ladder but makes me think of a pyramid. The colour is white in the way that the ‘lasered glass etchings’ appear to be white. I was wondering if this is a common occurance in crystals because I do have a few and have never experienced anything like it before. I want to know because I put a protection shield up around my house and the very next day I noticed the new ‘ladder’ shape. I’m not a big believer when it comes to coincidence…anywho, Please let me know if this is a regular thing so I can stop fretting over whether the change was caused by myself or by something trying to bust in.”

MY ANSWER: I expect that the sudden “ladders” in your crystals are from being in more sunlight. Sunlight can show up minute water bubbles, air bubbles, or tiny inclusions in stones, and that happens fairly commonly. Essentially, it’s fairy frost showing up, and not a negative sign at all. If you’d looked at the crystals under a microscope before, you’d most likely have seen them there, even though you couldn’t see them with the naked eye. Under the light and heat of the sun, they probably just showed up to your eyes.

My experience with stones having serious negative energy poured at them is that they have either turned very dark from it (similar to the way severe radiation exposure creates deeply black coloring in crystals) or shattered. However, do keep in mind that natural radiation — even the sun has radiation, so it’s not necessarily a bad thing! — and excessive heat can do the same things. And crystals can shatter for other reasons that are less negative to us, like for instance even a great excess of positive energy. Most crystals in a protection shield will hold up well to negative energy, as long as you cleanse and clear them regularly, which it sounds like you’re doing.

QUESTION: “Is there a crystal that you feel is appropriate for supporting someone through a grieving process? My first inclination is rose quartz, but, I’m not sure how to explain thiscorrectly - it feels too soft/weak??”

MY ANSWER: Rose quartz, Apache Tear, and jet are my first choices for dealing with grief. Other stones that could be used are: amethyst, aqua aura, bloodstone, botswana agate, chrysocolla, carnelian, citrine, chrysoprase, galena, jasper, jet, lapis lazuli, onyx, pyrite, smoky quartz, watermelon tourmaline. Many of them are going to be “soft” feeling stones — and yes, I do know what you mean. The quartz-based ones aside from the rose will probably feel least “soft” to you. I don’t recommend Galena as one to carry all the time or wear, though, as it’s lead based therefore not good to come in contact with regularly. (Wah! I love Galena too!) So generally, look at the list and see what appeals to you and go from there.

QUESTION: “When I went to one of the crystal stores in town the woman there said I could pull bad energy out of my friend (with reiki) with selenite. When I do that I have to imagine a net being there to catch it so I don’t have contact with it. Then she said I should use bloodstone to put good energy back in. Is that correct?”

My ANSWER: As for this method, although I don’t understand why she prefers bloodstone in particular to put good energy back in — I’d choose a clear quartz crystal personally — I don’t see why it’s not a good method. I’m sure if the woman there has done it with the bloodstone, it is fine to use that. Bloodstone is a chalcedony variety of quartz, anyway, so it’s not like it’s so far from my clear quartz anyway. hehe Each of us tends to develop favorites for things, and usually that’s just a preference, and all will work. I will say, definitely, though, that it is good to use some method to “put in” positive energy after
removing negative — Otherwise you’re sort of leaving an energetic hole that most anything can “fall into”.

An addition here to that answer: After thinking about it, I realized that Reiki itself is a good positive energy to put in place of negative energy. Crystals would not necessarily be needed, though they can be excellent tools and add to any other energy.

I fell in love with this Brazil Cathedral crystal yesterday. I had gone to a rock and gem show nearby yesterday. I saw this guy and said, “No, not practical.” I walked away. That lasted about 47 seconds and I was back grabbing him up. He just had to come with me. So he did. All 3.25 pounds of him. All the Cathedral energy and all the Self-Healing energy he also carries. And and and…. Awesome energy in a crystal being. Ahhhhhh

I’m going to sigh when he goes on to his true home, but I know he’s just visiting with me. I’ll enjoy him while he visits, that’s for sure!

OK, I got distracted. Yes, I got a few other cool things, and they’ll be getting online as soon as I can manage it. But this guy just totally distracts me. I may just hang out with him all weekend.

From a recent email I wrote in answer to a longer question.

My experience of the big difference energetically between raw and cut and polished is that the energy is going to usually be spreading out from the stone a bit differently. For instance, if a raw chunk is cut into a wand shape, the energy is going to usually tend to flow from the ends of the wand, instead of radiating out in whatever direction the rough shape would give it. A tumbled stone would tend to radiate out its energy in a “rounder” pattern. And so on. The way I deal with it personally, is I ask in meditation that stones that are not energetically ok with however they were treated in mining, cutting or polishing, or with being with me, to go on to their next thing in their journey through the Universe. You might try something like that with whatever you do.

QUESTION: Having read ‘Gifts of the Gemstone Guardians’ by Ginny & Michael Katz, I wish to locate the Gem Lavender as described in their book. Can you help me please? I need a long strand, or strands, of 8mm spheres.

MY ANSWER: I do not carry strands of 8mm spheres, aka beads, at this time, but your question was interesting to me. “Lavender” is not, at least in the US or the international gem community, an official designation for a mineral, but rather, Lavender or Lavenderine is usually considered to be a synonym of Lepidolite. Gem or Gemmy usually refers to the quality of the stone. I recalled, though, that I had one of Michael Katz’ books on crystal healing and went and found it on my bookshelf. The book of his that I have is “Gemstone Energy Medicine”, and in it on page 230, he states “Although it is often referred to as Lavender Quartz or Cape Amethyst, the gemstone Lavender produces its own unique energy and therapeutic benefits.” I am assuming that the Lavender in the book by he and Ginny Katz is the same one he mentions in “Gemstone Energy Medicine”. So while I don’t have it, you may have more luck asking for “gemmy Lavender Quartz” or “gemmy Cape Amethyst” since that would be the name most use for it. Of course, you can always go to Mr. Katz’ site gemisphere.com where Lavender is offered in 8mm size in lengths ranging from 27″/69mm to 30″/76mm at a price ranging from $159 to $275 and up. While I disagree with Mr. Katz that perfect gemmy stones or spheres are needed to be truly therapeutic, I can’t disagree with the quality of the stones he sells, as they’re really quite stunning from what I’ve seen on his site.

Lots of people are asking this question. Does it matter if stones are natural as opposed to dyed or polished? The answer is that accurate but not much preferred “it depends”.

If you want the stones strictly for the energy of that type of stone, natural is usually considered best. Polished would usually be a close second best — and in many cases, doesn’t hurt the energy of the stones at all, though it may make it spread differently than the natural version would.

If by polishing you mean “cutting and polishing” as with making beads or shapes, then that will almost certainly change the way the stone directs its energy, although it wouldn’t change the underlying energy of the stone. And if you want a stone for the look as well as energy, then cut and polished, would likely be a good thing, as this is done to enhance the useability and look of the stone, as with beads or faceted stones.

Dyed stones would come third as far as the stone’s energy, because many stones are dyed to look like something they’re not. For instance, a turquoise dyed white stone is not going to have the same energies as the turquoise it mimics. It still has the color energies of the color, but not the energies of a stone but what it was to begin with.So if you are looking primarily or specifically for color energies, whether the stone is dyed or natural would not be an issue, as it’s the energy of the color you seek.

Whether it matters that a stone is natural, dyed, cut or polished, depends mostly on what you want from the stone, and what you want to do with it.

QUESTION: “I want to open my heart romantically. I have been so thankful forthe support and love of my partner, but have doubted at times that I reciprocate his romantic love. I want to open my heart and begin to feel love rather than just intellectually ‘know’ that I love him.”

MY ANSWER: Ruby, Amber, Emerald, and Garnet are stones with energies of opening to romantic love, so any of those might be your best bet. Rose Quartz and Kunzite are also seen as powerful love stones, for unconditional love, which might also be appropriate.

This question refers to two different types of crystal formations: Candle Quartz and Recordkeepers

QUESTION: “Why is a candle quartz not call a recordkeeper?”

MY ANSWER: Candle quartz is recognized by a myriad of smaller terminations surrounding a larger central point. Recordkeepers are recognized by etched or raised triangle on the face or occasionally the shaft of the crystal. In candle quartz the smaller terminations are not triangles, they’re actual terminated crystal points. Recordkeepers have triangles on the face or shaft, not actual growing crystals. Of course, an individual crystal can have both formations at once, the same way a crystal can have any two other formations, but no one crystal will necessarily have both.

I got two questions right together about blocking EMF (electro-magnetic frequency) energies from things like cell phones, tv’s, electric lines, microwave ovens, computers, etc. asking what crystals are used for it.

MY ANSWER (Condensed from both answers to remove repeated things): Black tourmaline is said to block unwanted EMF frequencies, and is used pretty extensively by crystal healers for such. Many use natural quartz crystals also. Occasionally I’ve heard of Rose Quartz or Aventurine being used. I prefer the black tourmaline, though, and I keep black tourmaline both at the base of my computer monitor and between me and the cpu box, and it appears to help, since before I did it, I got much more antsy at the computer. It’s hard to be away from all EMF in this day and age, but reducing it in safe ways may well help.