If you follow me on Instagram then you probably know that I have a pretty extensive crystal collection. Often when I post about crystals, I get messages asking me about what crystals do or what they mean. So I knew it was time to create a blog post on the subject. I started my collection several years ago after reading a book that suggested using a crystal during meditation. Once I brought my first crystal home and felt it’s magical effects, I was hooked.
Crystals are not only beautiful specimens of nature but can also be a great source of support in your everyday life. I created this post as a simple reference guide to help you get started with a crystal collection of your own. (Note: Once you start, you may find it hard to stop!)
(Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase anything from them, there is no extra cost to you. I simply make a small commission from the sale which allows me to keep my blog up and running. Thank you for supporting Joi-Knows-How.com).
1. What are Crystals?
Crystals are living forms of Mother Earth. Many crystals form from melted molten lava that cools and creates various combinations of minerals, resulting in crystals. Others grow organically within the Earth’s surface.
One of my favorite explanations as to what crystals are can be found here:
2. What Are Crystals Used For?
If you’re not sure what you want to use crystals for, you may be overwhelmed with the various options available. Let’s discuss a few common uses for these beauties, and how that will inform which crystals you’ll start with.
Here are a few uses for crystals:
- A tool for meditation. Holding crystals in your hands during meditation can help you get into a more relaxed state.
- “Good luck” charms. Carry a crystal in your pocket for good luck!
- Home decor. Crystals add a beautiful element to your home decor. Place them on shelves, mantels, or on your coffee table.
- Energy balancing. Gems and minerals emit positive energy on a vibrational level. They can be used to balance the energy throughout your home, in your car, your work-space, and more.
- Charging your drinking water. “Charge” your drinking water by placing crystals around a glass of filtered water (or on top if you’re using a jar with a lid) to allow the energy of the crystals to blend with the water molecules. Then, after about eight hours, you can drink it and feel how smooth and refreshing the water tastes and feels! NOTE: I don’t recommend putting crystals directly into your water unless you are sure they are not porous and will not have any adverse effects. Placing them around your glass is perfectly fine.
- A source of tranquility. I strongly believe that contemplating the beauty of crystals inspires tranquility. Sometimes we don’t know why we are attracted to gems and minerals, but we can all appreciate their beauty and peaceful energy.
Once you know how you intend to use your crystals, you can look for specific stones that suit your needs. For instance, if you’re interested in using crystals for meditation, you may want to choose “pocket stones” as the base of your collection while larger crystals are more ideal for home decor. If you want to use your crystals to charge your water or balance energy, then crystal “points” are a great option. More on different types of crystals later.
3. What do Crystals Do?
Crystals emit a pure positive frequency. They have the ability to communicate with you by sending you their positive energy, simply by making contact with you through touch. This is why crystals are such a valuable tool in meditation. I have personally used crystals as a meditation aid, to help soothe anxiety when taking a big test, to bring more creativity and inspiration into my life, and to attract more abundance. I place them on my desk when I’m working, and I place them on the edge of my bathtub when I’m soaking. I often pick them up and simply contemplate their breathtaking beauty. I place crystals around my water glass to infuse the water with crystal-energy. I carry stones in my purse (or I put them in my bra). I also love giving crystals as gifts.
Each crystal has its own properties that you can seek out to support your needs. One way to learn about the properties of a crystal is to simply do a Google search! Type the name of the crystal and “healing properties” and you will find several resources. For example, “Amethyst Healing Properties.” You can also invest in a good crystal reference book.
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I recommend starting with “The Crystal Bible” because it has photos of each crystal, what they do, and how to use them for specific needs. This book is also small enough to take with you to the crystal store to use as a reference while browsing. Let’s say you want to find a crystal that helps with headaches, simply go to the index and look for “headaches”, and a list of crystals that can be used for this purpose will be available.
4. Which Crystals Should I Start With?
There are many different varieties of gems and minerals and each of them is beautiful in their own way. If you’re new to the world of crystals, it can be a little overwhelming at first! Here are my suggestions for a few that are great options for starting your collection. They are widely available and easy to find. 
Clear Quartz: This is the first type of crystal that I purchased, and the one that I have the most of in my collection. Clear Quartz represents clarity. It can be “programmed” with your intentions, meaning you can ask it to help you with a specific area in your life that you need support with. Clear quartz likes to be charged in the sun. This mineral does absorb energy, so needs to be cleansed from time to time (more about this later). Clear quartz also amplifies the energy of other crystals. It is a must-have for any crystal collection.
Clear Quartz
Rose Quartz: The stone of universal love, Rose Quartz enhances the presence of love in your life. It can help with attracting love as well as amplifying the love that is already present. Rose Quartz also helps with opening your heart chakra and promotes self-love. Rose Quartz fades if left in direct sunlight.
Rose Quartz
Smokey Quartz: Smoky Quartz absorbs negative energy and transmutes it into a more positive frequency. It’s a good stone to keep around you when you’re feeling angry, or when you have been around a lot of negative energy. Because Smoky Quartz transmutes energy, it is very important to both charge and cleanse this stone from time to time. (More about this later.)
Smoky Quartz
Amethyst: The stone of spirituality, Amethyst promotes peace and serenity while heightening spiritual awareness. It’s a great stone to use for stress-relief. Meditate with amethyst or sleep with it under your pillow to for peaceful sleep and dreams. Do not place Amethyst in direct sunlight or the color will fade.
Amethyst
Citrine: The stone of abundance, Citrine promotes an increase in the areas of your life where you need it most. Carry a small Citrine stone in your wallet to promote financial abundance. If you have a product or business, use Citrine to help you attract more customers/clients. Citrine does not absorb energy, therefore it does not need to cleansed or charged.
Citrine
5. Types of Crystals
You can fill your crystal collection with many different types of crystals. It’s helpful to know what the different forms are called when you’re out browsing. Here a list that you can refer back to as needed:
Tumbled/Pocket Stones: As mentioned earlier, pocket stones are crystals that have been tumbled in metal bowls until they are smooth to the touch. They are the most inexpensive type of crystal you can find. Because they are usually small, tumbled stones are ideal for carrying around with you and are great for holding in your hands during meditation. I like to keep all my pocket stones together so that I can easily choose one to carry with me for the day.
Raw Stones: Raw crystals are stones that are still in their “raw” form. They have more texture, and some would argue, more character than smooth stones. I enjoy having a few of these because they add an organic element to my collection.
Clusters: Crystal clusters are pieces that have several points connected to one crystal. They are particularly stunning because of the way each point reflects light, creating a sparkling effect.
Geodes: Geodes are rocks that have been sliced in half to reveal the beautiful small crystal clusters, called “druzy” inside. Below is a photo of the inside of a small Titanium Quartz geode, the druzy inside is stunning!
Points: Crystals are often carved into beautifully intricate points with several sides. Some points are flat on the bottom so that they can stand. Others are double-terminated, meaning that they have points on both sides. Crystal points are great for directing energy. The energy flows from the pointed tip fo the crystal so you can direct towards objects, or yourself, to feel the essence of the stone. Double terminated points are said to flow energy both inwards and outwards, amplifying the frequency of the stone. These are my favorite types of crystals to meditate with.
Spheres: We have all heard of magical crystal balls. Well, they exist! Crystal spheres are very powerful generators of energy because they radiate from all sides. This Labradorite sphere is one of my favorite pieces in my collection. So magical (insert heart-eyes emoji).
Jewelry: There are a wide variety of crystals available in the form of jewelry. Wearing crystal jewelry is a super easy way to integrate the magic of crystals into your life. Target even sells some crystal pieces now! My crystal jewelry collection is quite large, as you can see below.
6. Caring for Your Crystals
When you start your crystal collection, you should commit to caring for them. The better you care for them, the better they will care for you! Here are a few ways you can nurture your crystal collection.
Charging & Cleansing
Crystals need to be charged in order to work their best. It’s not kind to use crystals without giving them a chance to re-balance. Keep reading for several charging options.
Most gems and minerals, especially Clear Quartz, will enjoy spending an afternoon in sunlight. The rays of the sun will charge your crystals right up. (Keep in mind that certain stones, like Amethyst, will fade in color if they spend too much time in direct sun.) You can either set your crystals on a tray outside or place them in your garden. If you’re not comfortable leaving your gems outside, placing them in a sunny window is just fine.
Each month, mark your calendar for the next full moon. A full moon is a great opportunity to charge your crystal collection. All crystals enjoy bathing in the radiant light of a full moon. As with sun-charging, place your crystals outside or in a window during the full moon. Leave them there all night long. Your crystals will be so happy afterward!
Now that we covered how to charge your crystals, let’s move on to how to cleanse them. Would you feel good if you went weeks without a bath? Neither do your crystals. Give them a nice bath by using one of the following cleansing methods:
Sage: Sage leaves are used for cleansing of all kinds. You may already know that you can use sage to cleanse your home and help balance your own energy. Smudging (letting the sage smoke burn intentionally) your crystals is a very common way to cleanse them. However, the aroma of sage is very strong and many people are allergic; if it seems too intense, don’t worry! There are other ways you can cleanse your crystals.
Palo Santo: Wood from the Palo Santo tree is said to be sacred and is sold as incense in a stick-like form. The smell is very pleasant and refreshing. This is a perfect option if you are sensitive to the strong aroma of sage.
Incense: Just as the two options above, your crystals will enjoy being surrounded by the smoke of incense. Choose a scent that is pleasing to you so that you can enjoy the process as well.
Brown Rice: Crystals can be placed in a bowl of brown rice for 24 hours to cleanse and ground, allowing them to return to their natural balanced state. I do this for my crystals if they have absorbed a lot of energy from being carried around. Also, if I have been using crystals a lot for photo shoots *ahem* or meditating with them daily, I make sure to give them a break in a bowl of brown rice to recharge.
A Charging Crystal: If you invest in a large crystal cluster, you can place smaller crystals on top of them to charge. Amethyst and Quartz are great options. You can also charge your crystal jewelry this way.
Another way to care for your crystals is simply to spend time with them! Don’t let your crystals sit around collecting dust. Communicate with them in whatever way feels comfortable for you. At the very least, make sure you hold your crystals every once in a while and thank them for their beauty and pure positive energy.
7. Where Can I Get Crystals?
So, now you know the basics about these lovely gems and minerals. Let’s talk about where you can purchase them to get your collection started!
Spellbound Sky in Los Angeles
If you’re in the L.A. area, check out these crystal shops. They all carry a wide variety of crystals and the staff is very knowledgeable and happy to help you find the perfect crystal to take home. NOTE: I am going to do a companion piece soon that will go more in depth about these crystal stores. For now, here are the links to their websites:
The Native Spirit Lodge (San Fernando Valley) / thenativespiritlodge.com
Spellbound Sky (Silverlake) / spellboundsky.com
Alegria Bazaar (Larchmont Village) / @paulacarlotto
If you’re not in L.A., a quick Yelp search for “metaphysical store,” will lead you to a shop near you that carries crystals.
Spellbound Sky in Los Angeles
You can also check to see if there are any gem and mineral trade shows in your city. In Los Angeles, there are several that come every year and have hundreds of unique crystals for sale. A quick Google search should do the trick.
As with anything else, you can buy crystals online. Amazon has no shortage of crystals (I’ll link to some at the end of this post). You can even buy crystals via Instagram! Check out @lightsourcecrystals to see what I mean.
8. In Conclusion…
I hope that after reading this post you have the information you need to start your crystal collection. To see more about how I use crystals in the day-to-day, follow me on Instagram.
Instagram post of my meditation crystals
I am extremely honored to be able to share this knowledge with you. I want to remind you that this post contains affiliate links, and any purchase you make by clicking the links at the bottom of this page will help me to keep Joi-Knows-How.com up and running.
Thank you for taking the time to read. If you have any further questions, feel free to leave a comment and I will assist you as best I can.
Now, go forth and start your crystal collection! Have fun. 😉
All photography for this blog post was done by me, all of the crystals pictured are from my personal collection. All rights reserved to Joi-Knows-How.com
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Thanks for reading!
Until next time…
