Storing Your Stones and Crystals

Storing your stones is as personal as the work they do for you. Stones and crystals love being out with you though. They love being placed where you can see them every day. Stones can be laid on altars or tables or bookcases or anywhere your heart desires. They want to help whenever needed, and sometimes they know way before you do. So it is a good idea to have them readily available and within easy reach.

There are times however, when you may want to keep those special unique or rare pieces safe and sound. This is especially true for crystals you use for healing purposes. When not in uses, wrap your healing crystals in a silk or velvet scarf. This prevents scratching and protects the crystals against absorbing foreign emanations. Also, keep in mind when tucking them away, some will chip more easily than others, some flake, etc. Wrap them in natural fabric such as cotton or silk or a paper. Which ever you decide, is what is best for your stones. Listen to your instinct and do what you feel is right.

Some Tips for Storing your Crystals

* Select a location that's dry and clean. Exposure to salt air (common in coastal areas), dust, or moisture can damage or destroy some specimens.

* If possible, use boxes made of plastic or acid-free materials to prevent chemical reactions between the specimen and its container.

* Keep small, fragile, or soft samples in individual or divided containers that are lined with tissue. An economical way to store small, fragile samples is in an egg carton.

* Try to keep each specimen separate so harder minerals don’t damage softer minerals

* Don't use cotton balls or pads to line your boxes. The fibres can stick to your specimens.

* Be very careful which stones you place in UV and sunlight for long periods of time. Generally clear crystals benefit from sun light but even then you must be careful that the crystal does not get overheated and burn out or crack due to excessive heat that the sun can easily cause. Stones like citrine and amethyst can fade over time in direct sunlight.

* Never store your crystals in the dark. Both male and female crystals like the sunlight.

* If you're going out somewhere with a crystal, then a velvet pouch in your pocket or handbag is good.

* Be careful of what stones you store together in a pouch. Think about the quality of each stone and be sure you do not have conflicting energies together. It is best to make separate pouches or to separate stones in some way so that the stones do not actually touch one another. This is because a sharp piece of Quartz can scratch and damage softer crystals like Fluorite.

* A small box or chest with a cloth will allow you to bunch the fabric up a little between each stone.

* It is advisable to store clear quartz on its own so that its energy does not overpower the energy of other stones.

* Placing other crystals in a cluster of quartz crystals - or even individual crystals with a quartz crystal energises the crystal - you can leave the crystal with the quartz crystal to "re-charge" overnight.

* Some crystals can clash energetically. You can sometimes see if a stone isn't happy somewhere because it may lose its sparkle.

* If you notice that a stone isn't happy somewhere then it's good to move it. Once you are attuned to your various stones’ energies, they may even speak out to you and ask you to move them and where to place them.

Because this lesson is relatively short, I have included some fun and interesting facts about crystals too.....

Some Interesting and Fun Facts about Crystals

* The unit of measure for gemstones had humble beginnings. “Carat” comes from the Greek keration, or “carob bean,” which was used as a standard for weighing small quantities. It is equivalent to 200 milligrams, or about 0.007 ounce.

* The Cullinan Diamond is the largest known gem diamond—or, actually, was. It weighed 3,106 carats, or nearly a pound and a half, when it was discovered in South Africa in 1905, but it has since been cut into more than 100 stones.

* The bedrock schist beneath the streets of New York is studded with opal, beryl, chrysoberyl, garnet, and three kinds of tourmaline.

* The diamond is the hardest natural substance found on earth.

* Quartz is one of the most common minerals on Earth.

* The first recorded use of turqouise dates back to 5000 BC in Mesopotamia, where people used the gemstone to make beads.

* Geodes are dull balls of igneous or sedimentary rock on the outside, but contain beautiful crystals on the inside.

* The Taj Mahal built between 1632 and 1654 in India is made entirely out of marble?

* Topaz is the Utah state gem.

* Iolite was used by the Vikings for navigation at sea. Looking through an iolite lens enabled them to determine the position of the sun.

* Jet is the only stone that is naturally pure black. It is composed of coal, carbonized wood. It is sometimes called Black Amber because it also comes from fossilized trees.

* Kyanite is the mineral aluminum silicate which is also used to manufacture spark plugs, porcelain and other heat resistant ceramics.

* Lapis Lazuli in powdered form was used as eye shadow by the Ancient Egyptians.

* Moonstone in India is considered sacred and is a talisman of good fortune and success.

* The ancient Egyptians strongly believed in the healing and protective power of crystals. Many pharaohs wore crystals on their headdresses and many crystal amulets have been found in their tombs. The pharaohs often had their masks lined with crystals in the belief that crystals helped them be better rulers. Many objects of Amazonite and Lapis were found in King Tut’s tomb and Amazonite was one of the stones on his famous gold mask.

* Crystals are referred to over 200 times in the Bible

* Crystals have also been recognized for healing by Tibetan Buddhists and the Ayurvedic healing system for hundreds of years. The use of crystals is popular in also Hinduism, Buddhism and in Muslim culture.

Credit: Sam Ehinger Botoulas