Every stone we keep, and a good many we do not — colour, chakra, element, old lore and how to care for each one. Search it, or wander it.
84 entries
Chalcedony · Banded — every colour
The workhorse of the stone world. Every band is a layer of time laid down in a hollow.
Care · Very durable. Water and sun safe.
Feldspar · Sea green to turquoise
Named for the Amazon river, though the green stones traded there were likely something else entirely.
Care · Brief water only. Avoid salt.
Fossil resin · Honey gold to cognac
Tree resin turned to stone over millions of years, sometimes with an insect still inside. Rub it and it holds static.
Care · Not a mineral — no chemicals, no heat, no ultrasonic.
Quartz · Violet to pale lilac
The old Greek name means 'not drunken' — cups were carved from it to keep a clear head. Still the first stone handed to anyone who cannot quiet their mind.
Care · Fades in direct sun. Cleanse in moonlight or with smoke.
Fossil · Brown, grey, sometimes iridescent
A creature that swam these seas before the dinosaurs, coiled in a perfect golden spiral.
Care · Keep dry; some are fragile or stabilised.
Anhydrite · Chalky pale blue
Turns back into gypsum if left in water — it is anhydrite, which means 'without water'.
Care · Never wet. Dry cloth or smoke.
Phyllosilicate · Clear to pale green pyramids
Grows in natural pyramids inside basalt cavities — usually alongside the green stilbite it loves.
Care · Flakes and loses water. Dry, cool, no sun.
Beryl · Pale sea blue-green
Sailors carried it as insurance against storms and seasickness.
Care · Durable. Water safe; keep from long sun.
Carbonate · Rusty orange-brown spikes
Grows in interlocking rust-red stars, like a thing thrown down from orbit.
Care · Soft and spiky. Keep dry.
Carbonate · Deep azure blue
Malachite's blue twin; the two often grow together in one lump of copper ore.
Care · Soft and water-sensitive. Dry cleansing only.
Volcanic glass · Glassy black
Cooled lava — the fastest-forming stone there is. Polished into scrying mirrors long before glass.
Care · Brittle; chips easily. Cleanse in smoke, never in salt water.
Chalcedony · Solid black, sometimes white-banded
Worn in mourning for centuries — it holds sorrow so the wearer does not have to hold all of it.
Care · Water safe. Cleanse with smoke after heavy use.
also called Schorl
Tourmaline · Matte to glassy black, striated
The single most-recommended protection stone. Placed at the four corners of a room or at the threshold.
Care · Cleanse often — it fills up. Smoke or running water.
also called Heliotrope
Chalcedony · Deep green flecked red
Medieval Europe held the red flecks to be blood fallen at the crucifixion — the martyr's stone.
Care · Water safe. Cleanse often; it takes on a lot.
Phosphate · Teal to marine blue
Named from the Greek for 'deceit' because it mimics so many other minerals.
Care · Brief water. Avoid heat.
Chalcedony · Milky pale blue-grey
The old peacemaker's stone, given between people who needed to speak plainly.
Care · Water safe.
Silicate · Blue blades with pearly sheen
One of the two stones said never to hold negativity — it simply will not keep it.
Care · Splinters along the blade. Dry cleansing.
Chalcedony · Soft banded pale blue
The kindest stone for anyone who dreads speaking aloud.
Care · Water safe. Colour holds well.
Chalcedony · Burnt orange to red-brown
Carved into Egyptian amulets for the journey after death, and into signet rings because hot wax will not stick to it.
Care · Water safe. Sun is fine in short doses.
also called Celestine
Sulfate · Pale sky blue
Kept in a bedroom for the softest sleep in the whole cabinet.
Care · Fades badly in sun. No water.
Silicate · Swirled violet with black and white
Found in exactly one place on earth — a river valley in Siberia.
Care · Brief water. Avoid heat.
Quartz · Banded purple and white
Amethyst and white quartz grown in V bands — the seer's stone with the amplifier built in.
Care · Avoid long sun. Smoke or moonlight.
Copper silicate · Blue-green, often with matrix
The stone of quiet, unshakeable women — favoured by teachers and healers.
Care · Very soft. No water, no salt.
Chalcedony · Apple green, translucent
Alexander the Great is said to have worn one in his belt through every campaign.
Care · Colour can fade in sun. Brief water.
Quartz · Honey yellow to warm amber
Kept in the till and the coin purse — the merchant's stone. Natural citrine is pale; deep orange usually means heat-treated amethyst.
Care · Colour can fade in sun. Cleanse with sound or smoke.
also called Rock crystal
Quartz · Colorless, water-clear to milky
Called the master stone because it does whatever it is asked. A single point can stand in for almost any other crystal.
Care · Water safe. Rinse, dry, set in sun or moon.
Gypsum / Barite · Sandy beige petals
Sand and gypsum grown into petals by evaporating desert water. Each one is a single crystal bloom.
Care · Dissolves in water. Keep bone dry.
Silicate · Denim blue, sometimes violet
The stone for anyone who has to hold their temper professionally.
Care · Durable. Water safe.
Beryl · Rich green
Said to reveal a lover's lie if held under the tongue — a claim best left untested.
Care · Often oiled; no ultrasonic, no hot water.
Silicate · Pistachio to blackish green
A demanding stone — it magnifies the mood you keep, so keep a good one.
Care · Water safe. Handle blades gently.
Halide · Green, purple, blue, clear — often banded
The student's stone. Kept on a desk, it earns its place quickly.
Care · Soft and cleaves. Brief water, no sun.
Garnet group · Deep blood red (also green, orange)
Carried by travellers as a light in the dark and given as a pledge of return.
Care · Durable. Water safe.
Man-made glass · Copper-flecked brown or blue glass
Not a stone at all — copper crystallised inside glass, invented by Venetian glassmakers and still lovely.
Care · Water safe. Do not scratch.
Quartz · Soft green with mica shimmer
The gambler's stone — traditionally carried in the left pocket.
Care · Water safe. Sun in moderation.
Carbonate · Mint to sea green, waxy
Kept beside a sickbed as the recovery stone.
Care · Soft. Dry cleansing only.
Iron oxide · Metallic silver-grey, red streak
Name from the Greek for blood — polish it and the water runs red with iron.
Care · Will rust. Keep dry; wipe with a cloth.
Borate · Chalk white with grey veins
Frequently dyed blue and sold as turquoise — real turquoise never comes that cheap.
Care · Soft and porous. Dry cleansing.
also called Water sapphire
Cordierite · Violet-blue, shifts with angle
Viking navigators are said to have used thin slices as a polarising filter to find the sun through cloud.
Care · Durable. Water safe.
also called Nephrite / Jadeite
Pyroxene / Amphibole · Green, white, lavender
Tougher than steel to break. Carved for four thousand years as the stone of heaven and virtue.
Care · Water safe. Improves with handling.
Fossil wood (lignite) · Matte black, very light
Victorian mourning jewellery was carved from it. Paired with amber, it is the traditional witch's necklace.
Care · Soft and light. Dry cloth only.
Spodumene · Pale lilac-pink, striated
One of the very few stones described for the first time in the twentieth century — and still one of the softest in feeling.
Care · Fades in sun and cleaves. Keep it in the dark.
Feldspar · Grey with blue, gold and green flash
Inuit legend says the northern lights were once trapped in the rock off the Labrador coast, and a spear-blow set most of them free.
Care · Water safe briefly. Avoid knocks — it cleaves.
Lazurite rock · Deep blue with gold pyrite
Ground into ultramarine for Renaissance skies and painted on pharaohs' coffins. Once worth more than gold.
Care · Porous — no water, no salt. Dry cloth and smoke.
Pectolite · Caribbean blue with white
Found only in the Dominican Republic — volcanic stone the colour of shallow sea.
Care · Fades in sun. Brief water only.
Phosphate · Deep sky to indigo blue
Rare and often mistaken for lapis, though it never carries pyrite.
Care · Brief water. Avoid heat.
Mica · Lilac with glitter
Naturally contains lithium — the only stone in the cabinet with a pharmacy connection.
Care · Flaky and soft. No water.
Carbonate · Banded emerald to blackish green
Ground into eyeshadow in Egypt and into pigment in Europe. It does not do subtlety.
Care · Toxic dust when raw — polished only. Never in water.
Jasper (radiolarite) · Mustard, plum and cream
From Mooka Creek in Western Australia — fossil sea creatures pressed into desert colour.
Care · Durable. Water safe.
Feldspar · Milky white with blue sheen
Given to travellers and to brides. Said to grow brighter as the moon waxes.
Care · Soft — no salt, no ultrasonic. Moonlight to recharge.
Beryl · Peach pink
Rose quartz's refined relative — the same message, spoken more quietly.
Care · Colour can pale in sun. Water safe.
Chalcedony · Milky green with fern-like inclusions
Farmers tied it to plough and horn for a good season — the green inside is mineral, not moss.
Care · Water safe. Bury in soil overnight to reset.
Hydrated silica · Milky with flashes of every colour
It magnifies whatever mood you bring to it — which is likely where its old reputation for bad luck came from.
Care · Contains water. Never dry heat, never ultrasonic.
Carbonate · Glowing peach-orange
Calcite comes in every colour of the spectrum; the orange is the one that makes people smile.
Care · Soft and reacts to acid. No water, no salt.
Olivine · Olive to lime green
Mined on an Egyptian island in the Red Sea by lamplight, because the stones glow best in the dark.
Care · Sensitive to acid and sudden heat. Mild water only.
Chalcedony · Sand, cream and brown landscapes
Whole deserts painted inside a pebble — no two are the same scene.
Care · Durable. Water safe.
Silicate · Pale apple green, translucent
Often grown with needles of epidote inside, like grass under ice.
Care · Brief water. Keep from long sun.
also called Fool's gold
Sulfide · Brassy metallic gold
Struck against steel it throws sparks — hence the name, from the Greek for fire.
Care · Never water; it will rust and crumble. Dry only.
Chalcedony · Brick red, opaque
Called the supreme nurturer — a slow, patient stone for long hauls.
Care · Very durable. Water and sun safe.
Carbonate · Banded rose and cream
Sometimes called the Rose of the Inca — its bands look like rings in a tree.
Care · Soft and reacts to acid. No water.
Pyroxenoid · Rose pink veined with black
The rescue stone — kept in a pocket through the worst weeks.
Care · Brief water. Avoid acids.
Quartz · Pale pink to deep rose
The stone of the tender heart — kept by the bed, carried after a loss, given rather than bought.
Care · Pink fades in strong sun. Moonlight is kinder.
Corundum · Rich red
The stone of kings — second only to diamond in hardness, and far more warmly regarded.
Care · Very durable. Water safe.
also called Anyolite
Zoisite · Green with red ruby and black horn
Ruby crystals grown inside green rock — fire and field in the same stone.
Care · Durable. Brief water.
also called Venus hair stone
Quartz · Clear with golden needles
Golden threads of rutile trapped in ice — once called the hair of Venus caught in stone.
Care · Water safe, but handle gently near thin needles.
Corundum · Blue, also yellow, pink, white
Set in clerical rings for centuries as the stone of heaven and holy vows.
Care · Very durable. Water safe.
Chalcedony · Red-brown and white bands
Roman soldiers wore it engraved with Mars for courage that would not falter.
Care · Water safe.
Gypsum · Silky fibrous white
Most 'selenite' wands sold today are properly satin spar — the fibrous variety that catches light like a cat's eye.
Care · Water will ruin it. Dry cloth only.
Gypsum · Translucent pearly white
Named for Selene. A plate or wand of it will recharge a whole tray of tired crystals overnight.
Care · Dissolves in water. Absolutely dry.
also called Dragon stone
Concretion · Cream, gold calcite and grey
Mud, shell and calcite cracked and healed over sixty million years — the veins are old wounds sealed in gold.
Care · Fairly soft. Brief water.
Silicate · Mottled green, waxy
Named for its snakeskin look; long carried as a charm against venom.
Care · Some varieties are fibrous — buy polished. Dry cleansing.
Carbon mineraloid · Sooty to silvery black
From one deposit in Karelia, Russia. Contains fullerenes — carbon cages found almost nowhere else in nature.
Care · Raw shungite blackens hands. Rinse and dry.
Quartz · Smoke brown to near black
The gentlest of the grounding stones — it takes the edge off without dulling anything.
Care · Water safe. Keep out of prolonged sun.
Volcanic glass · Black with grey-white blooms
The white flowers are cristobalite crystals — light finding its way into black glass.
Care · Handle gently. Dry cleansing preferred.
Feldspathoid · Royal blue with white veins
The writer's stone — lapis's quieter cousin, and far easier to come by.
Care · Brief water. Avoid prolonged soaking.
Oxide · Red, pink, blue, black
Many of history's great 'rubies' — including some in crown jewels — turned out to be spinel.
Care · Durable. Water safe.
Zeolite · Peach to cream sheaves
Grows in soft peach fans, the gentlest thing in any zeolite pocket.
Care · Very soft. Dust only, never wash.
Silicate · Grape purple to magenta
A modern find — the healer's stone of the late twentieth century.
Care · Brief water. Keep out of sun.
Feldspar · Peach to orange with copper glitter
Moonstone's counterpart — carried together, they hold the whole day between them.
Care · Sun safe. Rinse and dry.
Zoisite · Violet-blue
Found in one small stretch of Tanzania in 1967 — the newest famous gemstone on earth.
Care · Cleaves easily. No ultrasonic, no sudden heat.
Quartz · Gold-brown with silky bands
Roman soldiers carried it engraved for a steady eye in battle.
Care · Water safe. Rich colour holds well.
Silicate · Golden, blue, colourless, pink
Golden topaz was the sun-stone of the Romans; the blue is almost always irradiated white topaz.
Care · Cleaves. Avoid knocks and sudden heat.
Phosphate · Sky blue to green, with matrix
Sacred across the Southwest, Persia and Tibet alike. Traditionally it should be given, not bought for oneself.
Care · Porous — no oils, no water, no perfume.
Altered granite · Pistachio green mottled with salmon
Named for the Unaka range in Appalachia, where it was first described.
Care · Durable. Water safe.
Tourmaline · Green rind, pink core
Two energies grown in one crystal — the pink softens, the green protects.
Care · Water safe. Avoid sharp knocks on thin slices.