Precious and Semiprecious Stones

Gemstones are cherished for their incredible durability and eternal beauty. The variety of gems is quite wide, but the U.S. Trade Commission lists only emeralds, natural rubies, diamonds, and sapphires as precious gemstones. All others are considered semiprecious, which seems a bit limited to me but is nonetheless the rule of thumb, according to governmental authorities. Rubies, if unflawed and of a perfect, deep red, are the most valuable of all gems, being the least available. Emeralds are next, and diamonds, perhaps surprisingly, are the last in line of this precious trio. Interestingly, the ancient Egyptians actually valued semiprecious stones more. The Egyptians made a vast study of gems of all kinds, and the earliest writing of any kind about these sacred stones was found on papyrus dating back to 1500 B.C. 

Gems have fascinated and played important roles in the lives of historical figures from alchemists to biblical scholars. The famous philosopher’s stone is, of course, purported to be a gem of enormous power and significance. Gem lore tells us that a stone can also have the power to throw a life into disarray. Marie Antoinette lost her head as a result of the public outcry over a purloined diamond necklace, and everyone who owned the Hope diamond either died before their time or was bankrupted until it was donated to the Smithsonian Institution. Bearing these examples in mind, just know that stones carry energy, and if they are stolen or ill-gotten, the energy clinging to the stones can greatly impact the owners and wearers. Being honorable is essential when you are wielding stone power. Having said that, the pleasures of owning and working with gemstones can be enormous. Gems can adorn your hand and help make you wiser. A gem-power pendant can open your heart to love and give you greater happiness than you have ever known. Gem power can heal your body and clear your mind.

Tips ’n’ Tricks: Crystalline Catalyst

If you are reading this book, it is a good sign that you are wanting positive change in your life. Crystals and gems are powerful vehicles for creating advantageous new directions for you to try. Certain crystals are revolutionary rocks—they can bring fresh change into your life NOW. Moonstone stimulates all the senses. Onyx helps with self-control. Peridot balances the physical energies. Sapphire is a motivator. Pink quartz helps overcome bad habits. Bloodstone rids emotional blockage. Alexandrite encourages love for life.

Making Magic with Crystals and Gems

Gems are powerful tools that can pave the way for a better life for you. There is a long history of the use of gems, stones, and crystals as amulets, symbols, charms, and jewelry in magic. These myriad stones can really enrich your life in so many ways. In the next chapter, you will learn how to make your own magical gem and crystal jewelry and how to charge the stones you already own with supernatural power.

Do you want to get a new job? Jade jewelry magic will do the trick! Need to get over a heartbreak? A chrysocolla heart-healing spell will soothe your soul. Are you an author suffering from the dreaded writer’s block? A creativity crystal incantation is exactly what you need. Gems and statues positioned in strategic places around your home can help accelerate the positive vibrations you are activating by practicing crystal and gem magic. Using what I call crystal feng shui, you can place a crystal or a geode or an appealingly shaped rock in the appropriate position of your home to facilitate change. For example, amethyst will promote healing and release any negative energy that is clinging. Clusters of citrine will activate vibrations of abundance and creativity.

So, if you want to bring more money into your home or office, place a big chunk of citrine on the left side of your desk, and the money will begin to flow! If you have a dark hallway that feels spooky or an area in your home or office in which the energy feels very static or low, place an obsidian ball there, perhaps in a pedestal, to absorb this negative energy. If you want to have your bedroom be a place of bliss and unconditional love, rose quartz will create this all-important atmosphere.

Crystal magic also involves color magic and spell craft, topics that are covered in depth herein. With crystal magic, you will learn to improve your life in ways large and small. You will discover the stones that are special to you and how to fully utilize these birthstones and karmic crystals. You will undertake the magical arts of crystal conjuring and spell casting with stones. You will be inducted into the practice of healing with crystals and how to achieve wellness every day. Finally, you will have at your fingertips the history, description, and instructions on how to use each and every gem and crystal.

Using gems and crystals in rituals, spells, and affirmations has been part of the human experience for millennia. By incorporating this practice into your life, you will create a flow of positive energy that will enable you to enhance your work, your family, your love, and every other part of your existence.

Yes, through the magic of gems, anything is possible. Again, welcome to this glittering and magical realm and begin a special journey under a sky where every star is a jewel you can wish upon!

The Mystique of Minerals

Each gem, mineral, crystal, and stone that is discussed on my blog has its own unique properties. Look at it this way: We have a vast healing and life-enhancing trove of beautiful and sacred stones from which to choose, and each stone has its own inherent, divine qualities. Each one is unique for the energy it emits and how it interacts with our subtle energy field, or aura. In the same way that no two fingerprints or snowflakes are alike, each crystal is completely individual, never to be repeated again in nature. Man-made crystals are exactly alike, thus reducing their appeal and healing qualities, at least in my mind.

Crystals found in nature are imbued with special qualities from the minerals and rocks surrounding them. Geologists are fond of explaining the varying colors of crystals as chemical impurities, and while that may well be so, I prefer to liken the development of crystalline color to the making of a fine wine, wherein the soil and even the neighboring trees, plants, sun, and rain affect the grapes and the resulting nectar. So, gems have notes, like a perfume or a wine or even music. Truly gifted gemologists can distinguish these delicate differences, especially the vibratory sounds.

Defining Crystal Categories

First, let’s explain the different categories: precious and semiprecious gems, crystals, and stones. We’ll start with the widest category, stones, which actually encompasses all the other categories. Stones can hold much magic and bring the best to you. I’m always looking in my path for a pretty stone or one of an unusual shape or coloration. In fact, I have a mobile altar in my car that is frequently augmented by a charming chunk of rock. I always notice that my friends and passengers are unable to resist picking them up and rubbing the smooth surfaces admiringly. Maybe one day, I’ll find a diamond in the rough in my path!

Stones have been of interest for many centuries. Primitive peoples probably picked up stones out of curiosity. Through trial and error, they discovered which rocks withstood the test of time and were more durable for use in tools. Doubtless, they also noticed that some stones could be polished to a lovely sheen.

Stones are primarily minerals that can be defined as natural, generally inorganic substances with a chemical composition and an internal atomic structure. So, a diamond, the most precious of all in the eyes of many rock hounds, is a stone and also a crystal with a very simple structure of one element—carbon. Quartz, a very commonly available and rarely expensive stone, is usually referred to as rock crystal and is composed of two elements—silicon and oxygen.

Crystals are defined as such because of their internal diffracting patterns—that is, by the way they hold and reflect light. Rocks can be defined as natural, solid compounds of mineral grains, or glass, or a combination of both.

What is the difference between precious and semiprecious gems? The simple distinction between these two categories is that only the most rare and costly gems are classified as precious. Emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds fall into this foremost category. Those remaining gems, such as opal, amethyst, and bloodstone, are semiprecious. Gems are a special class of very valuable minerals rated according to their hardness, color, and luster. Gems are held so dear because of their quality; they are usually clearer, rarer, and exquisitely beautiful.

All of these “rules” date back thousands of years in some cases. There is great tradition surrounding the lore and love of gems, stones, and crystals. They are simply glorious. Think about it—not only are they lovely to look at and to adorn yourself with, but they also have properties that bring love, health, happiness, abundance, and peace of mind.

Tips ’n’ Tricks: Dream Crystals

Thomas Edison carried quartz crystals with him at all times and called the stones his dream crystals. He believed they inspired his ideas and inventions. Literary legends George Sand and William Butler Yeats also relied on crystals to help spark their considerable creativity. 

Data has also been gathered to show the effectiveness of quartz in certain healing techniques, such as chakra therapy, acupressure, and light-ray therapy, as we will discuss in depth later. But the simplest way to promote healing with crystal is to wear a stone. 

Quartz can take the form of great hexagonal stones or of crystals so small that only a microscope can see them. Quartz can appear in clusters or singly. It can also appear in every hue of the rainbow. The gorgeous and varied hues of quartz come from electrostatic energy, which now can be altered through technology. I, however, prefer the simple beauty provided by Mother Nature herself.

Quartz is the largest of the crystal families, and we can be grateful for that since it is such a powerful healer. Moreover, it is an energy regulator for the human body, affecting the vibrations of the aura, or energy field that surrounds all living beings.