The Crystal Workshop: A Journey into the Healing Power of Crystals - Azalea Lee 2020

How to Recognize and Why to Avoid Artificially Enhanced Crystals

UNFORTUNATELY, the popularity of metaphysical crystals has created a hot market for fake crystals. By nature, metaphysics depends on personal experience, and because of this no verification agency for metaphysical crystals can ever exist. Consequently, because consumers do not realize the prevalence of fake crystals on the market, they become easy marks for sellers of dubious stones with purported metaphysical properties. While some sellers of fake crystals sincerely believe they are providing customers with supportive metaphysical crystals, others are looking for a way to turn a profit and find metaphysical buyers a gullible target.

What follows is an overview of crystals that have been artificially treated to their detriment, covering the spectrum from merely sad to very messed up. I’ll explain what has been done to them, how to spot it, and how these treatments metaphysically affect the crystals. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be far more aware of the differences between truly resonant metaphysical crystals and their imposters.

Artificially polished quartz point, with a beveled bottom and misaligned phantoms. This is the crystalline equivalent of clipping the tip of a leaf because it’s not “perfect” enough.

POLISHED QUARTZ POINTS

In chapter 3, I talked about how quartz is built from silicon dioxide molecules stacked in parallel spirals that conjoin into a single point. But quartz points don’t always come out of the ground with their tips sharp and clear. Instead, they can often be found naturally coated in other minerals that obscure or cloud their transparency. Sometimes these coatings can be removed without damaging the crystal underneath, but in many cases this is not possible. Consumers, not understanding the value of natural quartz points and believing translucent crystals to be “prettier” or more powerful than the coated versions, reject buying points in their natural, unadulterated form. In response to this demand for more “attractive” crystals, many quartz miners trim and grind the crystals to make them more appealing for sale. While the transparency of the crystal is enhanced, it is at the expense of the metaphysical power of the crystal, for the magical, turbo-boosting spirals, which before had harnessed the powerful energy moving through the crystal and coalesced this energy into a precise, directional tip, have now been chopped off. Also forever destroyed are the specialized gateways of metaphysical information found only through growth ridges and other natural etchings on the crystal’s surface, which have now been razed in the attempt to make the quartz more physically appealing and saleable.

It takes a lot of care to make sure a crystal comes out of the ground fully intact, without chips and dings to the crystal. But many miners, not wanting to be bothered with meticulousness, hastily dig up crystals in such a way that they get dinged up, tossed around, and damaged. They find it far easier to polish the points afterward, and anyhow, the altered crystals still put money in their pocket.

Businesses specializing in altered crystal points can be so adept at cutting and polishing that their cuts will still align with the original points of the crystal. Because of these skills, one can be easily fooled into believing their crystal has been unaltered, especially if the crystal point doesn’t have telltale clues like misaligned phantoms (see photo). But the biggest giveaway can be found at the base of the crystal: If the base is flat, often with a beveled edge, the crystal has been artificially polished. Another clue can be found on the surface of the crystal faces. If the crystal lacks any natural surface etchings or growth ridges, this is likely to signify that its surfaces have been ground off. Also in many instances the natural etchings on the sides of the crystal have been left intact, but the faces where the crystal meets at the tip have been artificially ground to a point. You will find this particular treatment across the board, from large “decorator-size” crystals to points thinner than the width of your finger. You’ll even find this treatment on crystal clusters where multiple tips have been polished in such a way as to make it appear as though the cluster has always been in perfect, unmarred condition. Often this work can be quite subtle, but you can learn to determine if polishing has happened with careful observation. If you inspect these crystals closely, you will notice that the polished surfaces are visually and texturally more satiny, while the rest of the crystal looks and feels relatively more glassy. You will also notice that edges of the polished surfaces are ever so slightly rounded instead of being clean and sharp. With practice, you will be able to determine if a treatment has happened simply by running a finger along an edge of the crystal to feel if it’s sharp or vaguely curved.

Notice the different textures on the faces of this quartz crystal. While some faces have a completely smooth surface or striated bands caused by the crystal’s growth, the largest face has a satiny quality to it. This is because this face has been artificially ground down to remove the chips and dings that would make it less “pretty” and thus less saleable.

But before you reject and grieve over any polished quartz points you have in your collection, know the situation is salvageable. Though modified quartz is not ideal, it is still a powerful stone that will continue to work for programming, turbo- boosting, and other energetic quartz magic—just not as purely and directly as an unadulterated point can. Even though the crystal has been altered, what will ultimately give the most power to your stone is your attention and understanding.

For instance, my spiritual mentor has an incredibly powerful crystal point—one of the most vibrant I have ever seen. Even though it has been cut and polished, it is alive and full of potent energy. This is because she knows how to interact with this crystal by recognizing its abilities, giving it attention, and working with the stone with intention. Like a good friend who “gets you” and whose understanding makes you blossom when they are near, my mentor’s stone resonates with power because it is infused by the energy of someone who understands its abilities. This is why skeptical people have no metaphysical experiences with crystals—because you have to consciously engage with a crystal in order to activate its energies. Otherwise, nothing happens. So if you know how to work with crystals, you can make even an impaired crystal resonate with powerful, healing intensity.

OTHER POLISHED AND CUT STONES

“But what about gemstones and other polished stones?” people ask me. “Is it bad for them that they are cut and polished too?”

“The answer,” I say, “has to do with intention.”

Many rocks come out of the ground looking like—well, rocks. They often look dull and boring, seeming to lack any special attributes. But when they are cut and polished, patterns and colors once hidden in their roughness begin to appear, revealing the stones’ beauty. This intensifies your visual connection to the stones, which increases your appreciation of their beauty, and the deeper emotional link created allows you to be better connected to the stones’ energy. This same principle also applies to gemstones, which are cut and polished from more costly semiprecious and precious geological material.

Gemstones can look pretty underwhelming in their raw, unpolished form, often looking like dull-colored pieces of half-eaten hard candy. But when they are expertly faceted, light is able to enter and refract within the stones, enhancing their sparkle and/or color. Then, when a stone is lovingly cut, it becomes more energetically vibrant. The respect, honor, thought, and attention that have gone into cutting the stone are what helps to reveal the stone’s hidden beauty, which in turn allows you to better connect with the gemstone’s metaphysical energy. But sadly, most gemstones lack this kind of intention.

For most of my life, gemstones did nothing for me. Even when looking at the finest jewelry stores on Rodeo Drive, I found them unimpressive, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. Then one day I was introduced to the work of a lone custom gemstone cutter whose work was so exquisite that it made me want to do backflips. Never in my life had I seen gemstones so mesmerizing, and as I got to know his work I began to understand what made his stones so different. Instead of mindlessly whittling down a rough gemstone to fit some traditional shape, he would examine a stone over and over again until he fully understood how to bring out its ultimate beauty. He carefully considered how to cut the stone so the light moving through it would enhance its color while only carving away the barest amount of material that kept the beauty of the stone hidden from human eyes. In every step of the process, he gave the stone in front of him his full attention and his wholehearted care, with the intention to coax the most beauty he could out of every stone— and it showed.

This is why intention is so important when cutting crystals and stones: One must be clear about why a stone would benefit from being cut rather than being left in a raw state. One must also understand how a treatment will affect the crystal’s energy. And one must know the kind of cutting the stone itself would benefit from. Otherwise, one will be mindlessly harming the stone.

For instance, the iconic shape of quartz has led other minerals to be ground into artificial points that mirror its six-sided shape. The most common example of this is with fluorite, which is often shaped to look like a quartz point. But this is actually a dishonor to fluorite’s energy because, unlike quartz, it is built from molecules that stack themselves into cubes or octahedrons. In comparison, as explained in chapter 3, quartz is built from tetrahedral molecules, shaped like little pyramids, which naturally stack on top of each other in spirals to ultimately create a six-sided shape. While this shape is ideally suited for supporting quartz’s turbo- boosting powers, it is in contradiction to fluorite’s energy, which is about steadiness. The energetic clashing produced from the interaction between fluorite’s natural energy and its imposed shape diminishes fluorite’s overall power and prevents it from fully projecting its healing energies. It is exactly this kind of carelessness that makes crystals sad, for it prevents them from freely expressing their energy in the most healing and supportive way. But it is the kind of carelessness that keeps happening because it makes money for somebody.

However, shaping does not automatically result in a stone’s detriment. Of all shapes, the most powerful geometry in the Universe can be found in a sphere. From a mathematical standpoint, the sphere, out of all possible three-dimensional objects, has the smallest surface area for the volume it holds. This principal shape guides nature itself, with spheres or partial spherical curves found all around us, especially in both the largest and smallest things in nature, from the giant planets to tiny drops of water. In sacred geometry, the sphere symbolically and physically represents the totality of the cosmos and all possible manifestations within it, meaning it holds the energy of all creation. This makes it a universal shape, applicable to any situation. Thus the energy of any crystal can be harmonically supported if the stone is cut into the shape of a sphere. And unlike a point, which specifically sends energy in one direction, the spherical shape causes the energy of the crystal to be sent out omnidirectionally (in all directions).

Another shape that can be very beneficial is the pyramid. Opposed to the sphere, it mathematically has the largest surface-to-volume ratio of all regular solids. And again, in opposition to the sphere, when placed on the ground it becomes the most stable shape in the physical dimension. It’s no coincidence that the ancients built their sacred sites using this geometry, for they understood how the tetrahedral shape could coalesce and project energy into the heavens.

Unfortunately, most crystal pyramids that are available have distorted tetrahedral shapes, which are not energetically sacred. The best crystal pyramids are equilateral in length and angles (at approximately 70.53°) or have a geometry that mirrors the 51.4° angle, the significant mathematical intersection of phi and pi, as reflected in the great Egyptian pyramids. So if you find yourself drawn to crystals with pyramidal energies, make sure the pyramids have true sacred geometry; otherwise the energies produced from them will be distorted. And it would serve you to learn more about sacred geometry so that you can deeply understand the significance of this powerful shape and how it will interact with your particular crystal’s energy.

For every cut, polished, and shaped crystal that you seek to acquire, consider the intention with which it was created. Was the cutting and polishing motivated by commerce or by a desire to assist the stone in expressing its energies to the fullest? Even if you don’t know who cut your stone, observe how well the stone has been cared for in its journey to its polished state. Does it seem beautifully crafted and lovingly presented? Or was it sloppily and carelessly made? Asking yourself these questions will help you figure out the intention with which your crystal has been shaped, for if you wish to be a true steward of crystals it’s important to acquire the ones that have had their energetic powers reinforced and to support the people who, with their craftsmanship, foster the crystal beings’ energy with love, honor, and respect.

HEAT-TREATED STONES

If you are in the possession of a citrine that is strongly orange-yellow in color, I regret to inform you that you possess not a true citrine but a heat-treated amethyst.

Amethyst gets its purple color because of the way light gets dispersed through iron impurities in its crystalline lattice. If amethyst is heated long enough and at a high enough temperature, the iron undergoes a chemical reaction (a change of oxidation states) that changes the way wavelengths of light disperse through the stone. This permanent modification to the crystal causes violet-colored wavelengths to become reduced and orange-yellow wavelengths to be increased, dramatically shifting the stone’s overall color. The amethyst is forced to change into a citrine.

The motive for doing this? Again, commerce.

Citrine has been imprecisely dubbed the “money manifestation” stone. And because so many people want more money in their lives, this single attribute has driven its massive popularity and sales. People continue to purchase this stone in the mistaken belief that it will help them increase their financial wealth. However, this misrepresentation of citrine’s true energies creates a big problem, for true citrine is actually quite rare and not easy to find. But with some trickery, a supply can be created to meet the stone’s high demand.

Though amethyst is found all over the world, it is found in extraordinary quantities in Brazil, where thousands of tons are mined each year. Of what is mined, two main grades exist—the more valued and profitable dark-purple amethyst, and the majority of what is mined, which is the faintly hued low-grade amethyst. But actually these low-grade “reject” amethysts most easily turn into “citrines” with heat treatment. When dumped into steel drums and placed in large ovens that bake the crystals at very high heat for half a day, they become an orangey-yellow approximation of citrine that feeds the hungry citrine market.

Artificial citrine, identifiable by its burnt-orange color

Although heat-treated citrines still resonate with manifestation energy, they do so at a cost. Because natural citrines develop their color through the slow and patient craftsmanship of Mother Earth, the manifestation energy they resonate with is gentle but productive. But like the wan results of hastily microwaved food, the quick process used to create heat-treated citrines causes them to have a loud and garish energy. Much like a person who barks at a store employee and gets her demands met just because the employee wants her to go away, heat-treated citrines manifest with a pushy energy that imposes on others rather than nurtures outcomes that are soul-satisfying for everyone involved. Though heat-treated citrine can get you results, it’s not the kind of energy you want for manifestation. Instead, it is better to wait and find a true piece of natural citrine or to use a different kind of manifestation stone—which will be more powerful than a stone like heat-treated citrine that has been forced to be something that it is not.

If you already have a heat-treated citrine, the best thing to do is to return it to Mother Earth by burying it. It will take longer than your lifetime to heal these mistreated stones, but at least they can be returned to the womb of Mother Earth to be regenerated and transformed anew.

Although heat-treated citrine is the biggest offender among popular metaphysical stones, heat treatments are rampant in the world of fine gemstones. Known in the industry as gemstone enhancement, heat treatment alters the chemistry within stones like sapphire, topaz, and tourmaline, resulting in stones that are more saturated and intense in color. But these treatments wipe out the subtle hues and delicate wisps of color that once danced through the stones. The difference in their color before and after is like a meadow covered in delicate spring flowers versus its cartoon facsimile, drawn with heavy strokes and garish colors. But because many people consider subtle, understated hues to be drab, instead favoring saturated colors and their easy-to-see bold hues, they ignore the comparatively more understated tones gemstones naturally come in. Compounding this, large jewelry companies who sell the same designs in multiple stores take stones that naturally vary in hue and heat-treat them to become more uniform in color. This allows them to market and sell a consistent piece of jewelry throughout all their retail outlets. But as enticing as these jewels may be, the gemstones in them have been metaphysically impaired and are not useful to you as energetically healing jewelry.

Artificially dyed tumbled quartz

DYED AND PAINTED STONES

There are regions where agates of muted and subtle color are found in vast quantity. These are considered “low-value” agates, for because of their comparatively plain appearance they do not garner the same attention as their more colorful agate counterparts. However, there is a way to make these understated agates more flashy: by dyeing them.

In order to make these agates colorful, they are put through a series of harsh chemical baths, some of which are quite poisonous. Their final color depends on the series of chemicals used, but all result in the absorption of gaudy bands of color where the dye is able to impregnate the stone. With the artificial treatment conveniently unmentioned, the eye-catching dyed-agate coasters, wind chimes, and bookends are then sold to unsuspecting, uninformed buyers, who, by omission of information, are led to believe they are natural stones.

Dyeing happens with other stones too. Turquoise can be an expensive semiprecious stone, but magnesite and howlite, both cream-colored stones, can be dyed to look like turquoise. Caveat emptor, for these are then sold to unsuspecting buyers who think they are getting a steal on real turquoise—but it is the buyers who are actually being fleeced.

Other stones don’t even get the effort of dyeing put into them and are coated in a layer of translucent paint. These stones will feel waxy to the touch, as though they have been very thinly coated with crayon. And as with dyed stones, the biggest tip-off is again a suspicious intensity and evenness in color.

Artificially irradiated smoky quartz. Note how evenly saturated the dark tips are.

IRRADIATED STONES

Unbelievably, things can get even worse when it comes to alterations made on crystals and stones.

Irradiating a crystal can change its color. But other than in the interest of scientific discovery, why would someone do this? Again, commerce plays a major role in the prevalence of this artificial treatment. For example, clear quartz is found in vast quantities all over the world. But with supply exceeding demand, new products are created in order to generate more profit, and one way this is done is by nuking quartz.

When clear quartz is exposed to millions of years of slow, natural radiation from Mother Earth, the aluminum impurities within its crystalline lattice are changed from clear to a tone of dark grayish brown to produce what is known as smoky quartz. But this effect can be artificially produced by placing quartz crystals in any machine that exposes them to radiation for a few hours, including nuclear reactors, particle accelerators, gamma ray machines, or even the X-ray machine at your local hospital. This results in quartz specimens with roots that may be white but with points in a saturated and overly homogenized hue of shiny blackish brown.

Unlike heat-treated citrine, which still has a modicum of manifestation energies, artificially irradiated smoky quartz sadly has zero metaphysical benefits. The accelerated process of irradiation distorts the natural energy of the quartz so that it no longer produces healing energies but causes a forceful and hyperactive energy to come out of the crystal. Like a proverbial bull in a china shop (except in this case, a grotesque mutation of a bull on steroids), its energy lacks control and can’t help but be destructive. It is no longer a healing stone.

But again, because of consumers’ attraction to bright, gaudy colors, irradiation also happens regularly in the gemstone industry. Aquamarines, sapphires, rubies, diamonds, and topazes are among the stones that receive this damaging treatment because it causes the color of the stones to become more homogenized and saturated. This too is something to be avoided, for any unnatural irradiation nullifies the beneficial healing energy created by the gemstones. Instead, if you want to wear healing gems, seek out natural gemstones. Though they take a little more legwork to source, they can be found through independent jewelers whose stones are certified natural by gemstone laboratories. And unlike irradiated stones, natural gemstones will produce healing energies that benefit you.

Iridescence with bold color is a key way to identify crystals that have been energetically damaged by a process called vapor deposition. The other way is if a crystal has “aura” in its name. For example, Angel Aura, Aqua Aura, Gold Aura, Rose Aura, and Sunset Aura are all crystals that have undergone this artificial process.

ARTIFICIALLY COATED STONES

Any internet or social media hashtag search of “crystals” will result in millions of photos. And a significant portion of the top photos will show quartz-like crystals in a wide range of shimmering iridescent colors, with names like Aqua Aura, Titanium Quartz, Angel Aura, Flame Aura, Gold Aura, Opal Aura, and so on. That these photos rank so highly in the results is very sad, for it illustrates the popularity of crystals that have been permanently damaged by a process known as vapor deposition. This treatment is produced by placing crystals in a vacuum chamber heated to 1600°F. Then an aerosolized metal such as copper, gold, titanium, or niobium is added to the vacuum chamber. The atoms of metal fuse to the surface of the crystal, creating a permanent coating that cannot be removed.

This metal coating can be applied to many different minerals, but its most popular application is with quartz crystals. This is because quartz’s shape with its varying faces shows the iridescence of the vapor deposition very well, but more importantly because cheap quartz is abundant and vapor deposition presents yet another way to make money from it. Unfortunately, crystals that have received this treatment are the metaphysical and mineralogical equivalent of cruelly treated factory-farmed chickens. Honor is not given to the animals in the factory farm, and honor is not given to stones subjected to this process. So violent is vapor deposition that the heating process alone can cause quartzes to explode, destroying themselves and neighboring crystals in the process.

Additionally, vapor deposition is not in any way, shape, or form a spiritual process. The main clients of vapor deposition are in industries like aerospace, automotive, and optics. It is the same process used to coat semiconductors for electronics, make firearms more durable, and manufacture the silvery lining in potato chip bags. Clearly, none of these products have any connection to spirituality or healing. But because of either devious marketing or unquestioning acceptance by the metaphysical community, these crystals have taken over the crystal healing market. These purported metaphysical crystals with their colorful iridescent coatings come with the claim that the vapor deposition process is an “alchemical fusion” of technology and nature.

I call bullshit.

These crystals are not created by true alchemy, nor are they metaphysical crystals.

In fact, the metaphysical properties of the stones have been permanently destroyed.

If I attempt to tune in to stones that have had this treatment, I am unable to pick up anything because information comes through muffled and distorted, as though it has been filtered through bad audio processing. What the stones originally wanted to communicate I am now unable to hear, for their voices have now been blocked by a coating of metal. The special doorways of information found through natural etchings on a crystal’s surface are now forever covered. The healing energy that would have been projected by their turbo-boosting spirals has now been halted. The only way to remove the coating is to grind it off, which would also grind into the crystal, damaging it. With vapor deposition, the crystal loses its power to heal, and you lose the ability to receive its healing.

Ironically, the reason these crystals are so popular is precisely because of people’s interest in crystal healing. Within the psyche, there is a subconscious recognition of the power of the quartz shape. But it’s the scintillating iridescent colors that people consciously gravitate to. If you have not yet developed your intuitive abilities and are not yet able to discern energy coming from the crystals, you will default to purely visual cues, like color and iridescence, to alert you to a stone’s power. But just as with fancy packaging, it’s only the superficial appearance that you are responding to.

This is why bold, unnaturally colored crystals are so popular. It is a reflection of the common but incorrect belief that metaphysical energies are distinct and loud, like bold colors. But this is not what metaphysical energies feel like. On a scale from one to ten, where the tangibility of physical experiences would rate as a ten, metaphysical energies, far more faint, would rate at one. But because many people don’t know this, they think that psychic energies will have the same sort of intense tactility they experience in the physical life. Thus they look for some sort of distinct physical cue to tell them a stone is powerful, and most often this is through bold, ostentatious color.

The recommendation of artificially coated stones can be a litmus test to determine whether or not a “crystal expert” is truly in the service of the crystals. If they advocate the use of and purport the metaphysical properties of crystals like these, I immediately know they are not in true, deep connection with crystalline energy. Otherwise, they would have picked up and felt the aberrations in the crystal’s energies. All the crystal healers I respect, whom I have seen conscientiously work with crystals in true, heart-centered service, do not support or advocate for crystals that have been treated this way.

But as the popularity of metaphysical crystals grows and as people who do not trust their own intuition and experience continue to believe what others say, crystals will continue to be permanently damaged through vapor deposition. And the popularity of this process is causing it to quickly expand beyond quartz to crystals like danburite and kyanite, and even to manmade glass beads sold as “metaphysical necklaces.” Sadly, as you saw in the photo on the previous page, there are even dried seahorses that have been encased in this vapor-deposited metallic sheen. A seahorse did not need to die to make a metaphysical tchotchke. And these artificially coated crystals are not metaphysical stones.

Vapor deposition can be applied to a wide range of minerals—even non-mineral objects. Here, several kinds of quartz, obsidian, kyanite, danburite—even a poor dried seahorse—have had an artificial coating of aerosolized titanium applied to them.

TOTALLY SYNTHETIC STONES

I am baffled by metaphysical resources that recommend stones like goldstone, greenstone, bluestone, and opalstone, especially when they openly disclose that these “stones” are manufactured glass. As completely manmade products, they do not hold any crystal healing energies. But because it’s much easier to rely on some crystal “expert” to give you the properties of a stone, many people override their intuition and buy fake crystals like these. And so fake metaphysical stones like this continue to proliferate and allow manufacturers to continue making a profit.

This “crystal” is a cut and polished piece of manmade glass. But that didn’t stop the seller from advertising it to me as Lightning Quartz.

Another category of stones to be wary of are synthetically created minerals. Quartz, emeralds, diamonds, opals, and zircons are among the minerals that can be created in a lab. Although these stones have a crystalline lattice and the same chemical formula as their natural counterparts, they do not have the same shape as crystals that are found in nature. They are also not imbued with metaphysical energy.

This is because the healing energy of a crystal is an expression of the healing energy of Mother Earth. With raw materials sourced from her own body, Mother Earth takes time, effort, and care to construct each crystal. Each mineral is created and formed using a different process, and each mineral is imbued with a different part of her energetic wisdom and healing energy. Her great love is placed in each and every stone to be shared with us, for we too are her children, also made from materials from her body. On her she has given us a place to live, learn, and grow, helping us along our journey by making available tools that teach us how to thrive on her with love, success, and happiness.

This is called goldstone and I’m baffled by people who purport it to have healing powers. It’s just manufactured glass with glitter in it.

This means that when we honor the crystals, we honor Mother Earth too. And accepting the energetic support given to us through the stones means that we also honor ourselves. This realization helps us to understand that crystal healing is not just about making your life more comfortable but about making yourself a fully realized being that energetically collaborates with Mother Earth for the upliftment of all. This means that in order to harness her energies you must utilize the tools she has created and not “minerals” unconsciously made by man.

I know this chapter has been depressing, but it’s important to learn how your desire to use crystalline energies has been deliberately used against you. Though this information has been harsh, by learning how the crystals have been tampered with you can become aware of other kinds of minefields you must learn to navigate when pursuing metaphysical knowledge. For unfortunately, the spiritual and metaphysical worlds are rife with charlatans—some unwitting, others deliberately so; and whether this happens on purpose, due to inexperience, or because of someone’s self-inflated ego, you can be misled. But do not despair, for your desire to have a deeper, more personal connection with crystals has led you to this book, and through your journey with them you will find the path that helps you to discern the spiritual integrity of others while discovering your own spiritual truth.

Though you may already be eager to go out and get crystals to work with, choosing the right crystals is not only knowing about what crystals not to get. Instead of rushing out and buying some crystals right now, what you actually need is to first learn how crystals work with your energies. In the subsequent chapters, you will learn how to work with crystals in a deeper and more conscientious way, and this will greatly illuminate your awareness of their energies. Instead of needlessly spending energy and money on crystals you won’t really use or need, by the end of the book you will have the ability to determine which crystals will be the best and most powerful crystals for you.

These are lab-created stones. Quartz, ametrine, sapphire, emerald, and tourmaline can all be made artificially in a lab; labs even manufacture minerals that are never found in nature (such as the orange stone shown here). Clockwise from left to right: lab-created quartz, ametrine, phokenite, chalcanthite, tourmaline, emerald, and sapphire.

Red Jasper conglomerate (aka Jelly Bean Jasper)

Chipboard Rhyolite

Rainbow obsidian cabochon

This fluorite has been cut into a six-sided point, but this was done to feature the intricate and beautiful bands of color within the crystal. This kind of thoughtfulness and craftsmanship gives honor and respect to the stone.

This agate has been expertly cut and polished in order to emphasize the beauty of the scintillating druse within its interior

In order to emphasize its mesmerizing growth patterns, this clear trapiche quartz has been cut and polished into a slice and photographed under polarized light.

Quartz carved into platonic solids

These quartz ventifacts have been naturally carved and polished by wind.