All About Crystals and Gemstones

The short version – Everything is energy. Energy vibrating at different frequencies, produces different elements.
Elements in different combinations of proportion and alignment, produce thousands of different minerals, mostly in crystalline form. A rock is an aggregate of different minerals, and sometimes other rocks.

A Gemstone, is roughly any crystal, mineral, rock or organic substance, that due to it’s beauty, rarity or specific properties, is attractive to mankind.

Jewellery springs to mind first, and is the oldest know use – adornment. Today we use them for all sorts of applications.
Some people see the beauty and rarity and build up big collections of unique specimens. Some use their metaphysical or New Age energies for personal growth and healing. We all make use of them everyday in the form of materials that build our modern society.

The gemstone world is huge, and there is a gemstone of the right size, shape and colour for everyone.

“The contemplation of beauty, causes the soul to grow wings.” – Plato

In a word – “Energetically.”

The powers or properties of crystals (and most substances are crystalline), come from their rigid internal atomic structure. Even when ground down small, each piece has the same shape and properties as the whole.

Crystals are used to absorb, conserve, focus and emit energy.

In science terms, we use Kyanite for it’s heat resistance properties in our spark plugs. We use Rubies to focus our lasers in industry, Diamonds for cutting tools and Beryl (Emerald is a type of Beryl) to create Beryllium Salts, which we use in our florescent tubes. Rock Crystal with it’s piezoelectric properties is used extensively in our circuit boards and chips. They are all around us in some form.

In crystal healing we are still using their energetic properties to transform and shift our own energetic fields. I will go more in depth on this topic in another post.

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” ― Nikola Tesla

With more than 5500 named minerals, and dozens more being added and subtracted every year, added to the fact that these same minerals come in many mixtures and forms, it can sometimes be difficult to identify that rock you found.

Here are some links to help you narrow it down.

• Gemstone Directory – A growing guide to some of the more common gemstones.
• Gemstone Glossary – A list of terms used in the gemstone world.
• Gemstone Classification – Learn some of the more common methods of classifying minerals.

• Healing with Crystals and Gemstones – Used to “tweak” your aura, in sessions of crystal therapy, reiki and other healing modalities.
• Meditating with Crystals and Gemstones – Great tools for personal growth.
• Building Crystal Grids – Used to enhance the energy of a space, or to focus intent on a specific topic. Next level frequency modulating.
• Building other Crystal devices – From tower busters to crystal radio sets and more.
• Lapidary – Is the engraving, cutting and polishing of stones and gems.

A strange looking pebble that you found on the beach. The rock you picked up on that hike. The gifts received from friends. Finding a beautiful piece that speaks to you in a little rock shop.

Crystals come to us in many ways, and each time it feels like we found treasure!

• Crystal and Gemstone Shops – My favorite places, Physical stores and Online shops. All great places to go hunting.
• Gone Crystal Hunting – A report on our first crystal expedition up the West Coast.