Mixing Crystals

Here are some tips about stones not to mix together in jewelry, as their energies cancel each other out:

    -Carnelian counteracts amethyst, as it connects more strongly with the body.

    -Lapis lazuli stimulates the mind, and blue lace agate relaxes it.

    -Lapis lazuli and turquoise are also opposites, although I can’t help but notice that this didn’t stop the         Egyptians from using them together!

    -Turquoise dampens the energy of malachite.

    -Diamonds and turquoise have such different energies that they conflict.

Tips ’n’ Tricks: Pearls for Patience

In this fast-paced world, we are so accustomed to instant gratification—high-speed internet

connection, same-day delivery. We are multitasking ourselves to death. Slow down and enjoy

your life. It is worth it, I assure you. Here is a quick way to simply relax and enjoy the little things

of life: Wear a pearl. Pearl earrings and necklaces are the best, as they calm and clear the

mind.

The Language of Jewelry: Brooches, Headdresses, and Bracelets

Brooches

Brooches symbolize virginity, faithfulness, and protection. A diamond-studded brooch is a double symbol of love and safeguarding. Brooches were the costume jewelry of the medieval Irish, who decorated themselves with gems and valuable stones to show they were part of the aspiring warrior caste.

Headdresses

It is no accident that kings, queens, and emperors wear crowns. The ancients wanted their leaders to be wise, and bejeweled crowns brought the energy of gems to bear on their brows. While you might not want to wear a tiara to the office, you can wear hair clips and barrettes with crystals and stones attached for some of the same reasons. Why not be smarter and smartly accessorized?

I love it when bindis (the “dots” traditionally worn by Indian women on their foreheads) came back into vogue, because jewels on the third eye (an invisible organ of spiritual perception) stimulate intuition and compassion. Wear bindis in moderation, however, to avoid exhausting your center of intuition.

Bracelets

I love bracelets and am wearing an aventurine cuff right now. The wrists are perfect pulse points. Organic gems, such as coral and abalone, are very helpful for energy flow and release. Turquoise is great for stabilizing and calming you physically. Ancient cultures loved to wear armbands and cuffs, and those have gone out of style except among the most dramatic of fashionistas. Perhaps we should try to bring this style back because gem and crystal armbands are very good for body and soul.

Tips ’n’ Tricks: Speaking Stones

If you are a singer or speaker or simply wish to improve how you express yourself, wear these stones in chokers or necklaces to realize a noticeable change for the better: amber, amethyst, aquamarine, azurite, blue obsidian, blue topaz, blue tourmaline, kunzite, lepidolite, and turquoise.

The Language of Jewelry

A little thoughtfulness about how and where to wear your crystal and gem jewelry can go a long way toward enhancing your health and happiness. The left side of your body is the most sensitive, or feeling side; the right side is your action side. Information and energy flow into your left side much more quickly, so you can protect yourself by wearing crystals on that side that act as energy guards. Jewelry worn on the right side of your body helps with work, productivity, and success.

Necklaces, Pendants, and Chokers

Perhaps you want to be a better communicator or to sing or simply to express yourself more freely. A blocked throat chakra can result in your feelings and ideas being blocked. So, in this case, you will want to focus on opening up the throat chakra. A necklace or choker can serve this purpose. A strand of pearls not only looks timelessly elegant but also boosts your self-esteem and sociability. The best metals for this use are silver, copper, and gold. You will want to avoid aluminum entirely because it is considered to be a health risk.

Earrings

You can wear one gold earring and one silver earring to rid yourself of the discomfort of a headache. Earrings were once worn to guard ears from potential disease and from hearing bad news. They were also believed to strengthen weak eyes, especially if set with emeralds. Earrings help to balance both hemispheres of the brain and can stabilize the throat chakra. The earlobes are sensory centers on the body and usually benefit from the stimulation of a gem or crystal. Jade and tiger’s-eye are great for reviving and refreshing. You will generally feel quite good with these two earring choices. Sapphires will bring you greater wisdom. However, lapis lazuli and opal can be overstimulating as earrings, so watch carefully and see how your body reacts to them. Some people feel light-headed with these two stones placed so high on the body. Malachite can be too spiritually stimulating as earrings; don’t wear them unless you want to be in a soulful or dreamy reverie. Go for garnet, as garnet earrings will enhance your popularity. And here is a tip that might soon cause a stampede to the jewelry shop: Rose quartz is wonderful for the skin and can even slow aging!

Chains

Chains represent links between people, the ties that bind you to another. Other mystical associations for chains are happiness and justice; prayer; reason and the soul; communication and command. Plato referred to a chain of being, a golden chain linking the earth to the heavens above, a bond between humans and immortals. Socrates tied our human happiness to the concept of justice with a chain of steel and diamonds. Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite compared the practice of prayer to an infinitely luminous chain going from Earth to heaven. An astral cord, akin to a golden chain, binds the spirit to the psyche and binds reason to the soul.

Geodes

 

Geode jewelry can also bring you success at work. At my favorite metaphysical five-and-dimes, I have been seeing baby geodes that can easily be glued to a fabric choker band or are already in pre-made pendants. If you are feeling like you are in a slump at work or want to impress the boss, begin wearing a pretty and professional geode necklace, and things will be looking up soon! If this style is not for you, just buy a geode, set it on your desk, and look at it while picturing yourself climbing the ladder of success.

Enchanting Your Jewelry with Candle Magic: Your Crystal Altar

Charging a gem or crystal imbues it with your intent. Upon charging your jewelry, you can use it in spell work or anytime you want to surround yourself with the magic you put into the gemstones. While picturing your truest wish and hope and what you ultimately want to achieve through this process, anoint a candle with an essential oil that most expresses your energy. Perhaps it is rose oil, or as in my case, amber.

Begin by lighting the candle and gazing into the flame. Then, place the piece of jewelry in front of the candle and say aloud, “Into this jewelry, I imbue my essence and the power of this blessed earth. This gem of great hue is charged until my magic is through. So mote it be!” 

You can further empower the jewel by scratching your desire into the wax of the candle. Then, each time you burn the candle, place the gem before it and think upon your quest.

To enchant all of your jewelry, you need to create an altar for this express purpose. With a crystal-magic altar, you can prepare the way for letting crystal and gem magic into your life and focusing your desires and dreams. If you already have an altar in place, incorporate some of the following elements. The more you use your altar, the more powerful your spells will be. 

Your gem-magic altar can be a low table, the top of a chest, or even a shelf. First, you must purify the space with smoke. Once you have cleansed the space, cover your altar with your favorite fabric; I recommend the color white. Place a candle in each corner. I prefer candles of many colors to represent the rainbow array of gems. Place gems and crystals of your choice around the candles. Rose quartz is a heart stone, and fluorite is a calming crystal, so these are good choices for grounding yourself, particularly if your altar is in your bedroom, as many are! Add to the altar fresh flowers, incense you simply love to smell, and any objects that have special meaning to you. Some folks place lovely shells or feathers they have found in their paths or on the beach, and others use imagery that is special, like a goddess statue or a star shape. The most important point is that your altar be pleasing to your eye and your sensibilities. You should feel that it represents the deepest aspects of you as a person.

Ideally, you will bless your altar on a new moon. Light the candles and incense, and say aloud:

    Here burns happiness about me,

    Peace and harmony are in abundance,

    Here my happiness abounds.

    Gems and jewels—these bones of the earth

    Bring love, prosperity, health and mirth.

    Be it ever thus that joy is the light

    That here burns bright.

    Blessed be!

You have now consecrated your altar. It will be here to ease your spirit anytime and will become your power source. Your altar connects you to the earth of which you and all gems and crystals are a part. Your altar will connect you to the crystal magic that has now entered your life. Whenever you want to add a dash of magic or a supernatural sparkle to a stone or piece of jewelry, you can place it on your altar for seven days. On the seventh day, wear the jewelry and bewitch everyone you encounter! Remember that your level of clarity and concentration will be reflected in the jewel’s power.

Now, enjoy your sacred stones.

Tips ’n’ Tricks: Cover-All-The-Bases Crystal

If you are keeping yourself on a strict budget, get one piece of jewelry that will help you in nearly every area of your life—health, wealth, love, family, career, travel, friendship, and creativity. Go to the nearest Chinatown, where the prices are right, and get a bracelet featuring multiple hues of jade. One-stop shopping to a better life now!

Tips ’n’ Tricks: Malachite Bone Soother

One healer recommends this malachite bone cure: Using tape or a soft cord, create a band with a small piece of malachite. Tape or wrap the band to the injured or bruised area and leave it overnight. The benefits should start within one day as the inflammation is greatly eased by the miraculous coppery green crystal. I have a bad ankle from a really bad sprain and a subsequent really bad break, and my malachite ankle band is invaluable when the ache-inducing rain is coming on.