Gemstone Information

One of the most common questions we get asked is what is the difference between the terms Crystal, Gem, Rock, Mineral, Stone and Ore, let us try (our best) to simplify things, as sometimes more than one term can be used to describe a particular “Stone”.

A good and fairly generic term is MINERAL…. after all, a mineral is something that has been MINED (hence the name).

Although it is fair to say that it does not apply to everything.

Some MINERALS are sedimentary ROCK that was laid down over millions (sometimes billions) of years, an example of ROCK would be Jaspers. ROCK is generally a mineral that may be considered to be a STONE.

CRYSTALS are MINERALS that formed in a CRYSTALLINE habit as a concentrated liquid dropped deposits of MINERAL rich water over millennia in the same place.

A MINERAL that is said to have a value, either due to scarceness or demand (like Diamond) can be said to be PRECIOUS and others, due to overwhelming popularity (amethyst) is said to be SEMI-PRECIOUS or a GEM STONE.

The term ORE is used to describe a MINERAL that contains a METAL in a metallic or non-metallic form. For example, Hematite is used to make Iron and subsequently Steel, where Malachite is used to extract Copper. Metallic ores usually have very strong colours.

The term TUMBLESTONE is an accurate description of how they are made. Crystals, rocks and ores can be tumble polished in large rotating drums with grit for up to a year!

Some minerals, like Calcite, react violently with acid and are dipped in acid for mere seconds to polish them, that is how calcites can have a rough shape with a very smooth and shiny surface.

Differences of opinion!

The information provided below may well be different from what you have read elsewhere, it is not to say that our information is wrong, completely correct or something else.

There are many crystal books and sites with information out there, we have compiled our information using lots of different trains of thought, using a mixture of intellect and intuition as well as decades of experience and a good measure of psychometry too! (Psychometry is the ability to communicate with inanimate objects).

We have spoken to many of our suppliers over the years, most of which are geologists and people within the scientific community, many of which have little interest in the esoteric. They have been fascinated by how the geology of each mineral can heavily influence the meaning it can have.

For example, Brecciated Jasper was once formed as regular jasper, it became brecciated (crushed up and broken) in earthquakes or some king of geological trauma and was then reformed into another type of jasper, this to us signifies the importance of accepting what others see as our greatest flaws, our imperfections. But in reality, it is the most resilient part of our personality that survives, it can signify personal strength, a person that can be seen as defiant, pacing forward against all odds and a person that yearns to be themself.

Danny has been using crystals for divination and readings for more than 20 years, it is interesting how the combination of crystals can tell a story, how to seemingly unrelated crystals can come together to say something.

Beware of fakes!

Please note, we do not sell man made stones or those that have been unduly dyed or altered… so you won’t find goldstone, opalite or aura quartz on this list!

However, most commercially available Smokey Quartz and Citrine have been Irradiated (exposed to radiation, usually microwaves) or Heat Treated (quite literally, amethyst is placed in a large oven and slowly heated and cooled over a period of time) for it to change to Citrine. Natural citrine is not as bright orange as its “Baked” cousin and is also much more expensive.

Sometimes minerals are dyed to make them look more appealing, most commonly Turquenite or Howlite are dyed various shades of blue, turquoise and green. We sometimes get the odd piece in a bad of natural, which we keep to one side in case anyone asks for it.

We have also seen some shops selling totally fake minerals, such as Malachite, Lapis and Chrysocolla, these are relatively expensive, so dyed stones or even man made resin is being sold in their place. Needless to say, a fake stone is not going to do anyone any good!

Not all listed are sold, our stock levels and availability change all the time. We will try to mark those we do not have with a *

Mineral Families

Agates
The agate family also include Chalcedony & Onyx are found in many countries worldwide. They can often be identified by their beautiful banding. Agates are quite often dyed as they often naturally have grey and brown hues. Chalcedony and Onyx are almost always naturally colourful, including well known Carnelian, which used to be called Sard.

Agates are in the Quartz (silicate) family.

Felspars
The feldspar family includes some of the most well known minerals including Amazonite (pronounced a-maz-onite), Moonstone & Sepheranite.

Fossil
There are lots of fossils that are used as gemstones, including fossil wood and coral. Infact, we stock Turitella Agate, which is an agate filled with tiny fossils.

Did you know that Jet is the fossilised remains on a pre-historic forest of Monkeypuzzle trees? Technically they are the compressed, carbonised remains (anthracite) but people use the term fosillised.

Metallic Ores
Although ore is not a defined family of minerals, it is worthy of mention as almost all associated metallic minerals are beautiful, from Peacock Ore to Pyrite and everything in between.

Quartz
The quartz family is probably the most well known, it is also the largest group of minerals. Quartz belongs to a family that is correctly called Silicates.

Members of the quartz family include Amethyst, Citrine, Smokey & Rose Quartz.

Volcanic Quartz
The silicate family also includes a subsection that contains Apache Tear and Obsidian. Both of which started out as a variety of quartz that was heated and made molten by a volcano. When cooled, a new mineral was formed.

A to Z

Please use the search box to find something specific.

Name	Meaning	Chakra	Notes
Agate, Blue Lace	Speak from the heart, Truth, Trust	Throat
Agate, Botzwana, Grey	Stability, Take your time, Take small steps	Root
Agate, Botzwana, Pink	Calm down! Keep your cool.	Heart
Agate, Bumblebee	Be a team player, Accept help, Be a good friend	Solar Plexus
Agate, Coyaminto, Crazy Lace	See things clearly, Remove Illusion, Peace	Root
Agate, Crazy Lace, Yellow	Follow your feelings, Proud to be different	Solar Plexus
Agate, Dendrite	Abundance, Strength, Get the job done	Root
Agate, Flower	Personal development, Uplifting, Calm	Root / Sacral
Agate, Moss, Blue	Communication, Listen then act, Think before you speak	Throat
Agate, Moss, Green	Do it with love, Protects the heart chakra	Heart
Agate, Moss, Pink	Aura Protecting, Follow your instinct.	Heart
Agate, Turritella	Helps in times of Change	Root
Agate, Tree	Growth, Personal Development, Kindness	Root & Heart
Agate, Zebrastone	Calming, Blend in or Stand Out!	Root / Heart
Agni Manitite	Letting go, Moving On, Fresh Perspective	Root	Psudotektite
Amazonite	Balancing, Hope, Go with the flow	Heart / Throat
Amethyst, Banded / Chevron	Calming, Peace, Balance, Creativity	Brow
Amethyst, Dark, Uruguayan	Deep peace, Meditative State	Crown
Amethyst, Green, Prasiolite	Love, Calming, Peace, Balance	Heart / Crown	Prasiolite is sometimes called Amegreen
Amethyst, Pink	Het the heart take the lead, Creativity, Calm	Heart & Crown
Ametrine	Find the balance, Inner peace	Sacral / Brow
Amphibolite, Red	Impulsiveness, Grounding, Contemplation	Root
Angelite	Connection with angelic realms, Communication, Truth	Throat
Apache Tears	Dispeller of negativity, Protection	Root
Apatite	Don't be fooled! Aura Strengthening	Heart / Throat
Aquamarine	Banishes Phobias, Settle down, think before you speak	Root / Heart / Throat
Aragonite, Brown	Grounding, Respect for Nature	Sacral / Solar Plexus
Aragonite, Yellow	Settle emotions, Calm, Deciciveness	Root & Solar Plexus
Arfvedsite	Calming, Emotional Stability , Self-discipline	Root
Aventurine, Green	Leadership, Creativity, Love	Heart
Aventurine, Peach	Lead by example, Trust	Sacral
Aventurine, Red	Lead by following your instinct	Root / Sacral
Aventurine, Silver	Be patient, Lead by doing things right first time	All
Aventurine, Yellow	Share your feelings with others, Kindness	Solar Plexus
Azurite with Malachite	Speak with love and be truthful	Heart
Bismuth	Dare to be different! Grounding	All
Bloodstone / Vulcan Jasper	Inner Guidance, Intuition	Root / Heart
Bronzite	Stability, Personal Space, Growth	Root / Sacral / Solar Plexus
Cacoxenite	Brings balance, Stability & Peace	All
Cairngorm	Spititual Awakening, Psychic Development	Throat
Calcite, Banded	Take it easy, Don't over react	Sacral & Solar Plexus
Calcite, Honey	Stability, Ability to attract the right people	Sacral / Solar Plexus
Calcite, Mangano	Sensitivity, Listen to your heart	Heart
Calcite, Optical	Remove Illusions, Clarity, Concentration	All
Calcite, Orange	Studying, Mental Attitude, Concentration, Teaching	Sacral
Carnelian	Concentration, Studying, Balancing	Root / Sacral
Celestite	Spititual Awakening, Psychic Development	Throat
Chaistolite	Direction & Purpose	Root
Chalcedony, Blue (Blue Carnelian)	Stabitlity, Speak from the heart, Truth	Throat
Chalcedony, Green	Kindness, Listen to your heart, Soothing	Heart
Chalcopyrite (Peacock Ore)	Do it with conviction, Removes Illusion, Grounding	Root
Charoite	Positive thinking, Put others First	Crown
Chinese Writing Stone	Say what needs to be said, Speak Up	Root
Chryoslaite & Serpentine	Settles matters of the heart	Heart
Chryosprase	Show what you are feeling, Personal Glow	Heart
Chrysocolla	Speak from the heart. Listen to your heart.	Heart / Throat
Chythia (Serpentenite)	Harmony, Balance between heart and impulse, Love	Root / Heart	Mineral containing Nephrite Jade and Serpentine
Citrine	Self-Esteem, Overcome Fear	Sacral / Solar Plexus
Conglomerate	Be more than the sum of your parts, Work well with others	All
Coprolite (Fossil Dung)	Let it go! Don't hold a grudge	Root / Sacral
Dumortierite	Reality, Understanding	Throat
Emerald	Speak the truth, Speak from the heart	Throat / Brow
Epidote	Healing, Work with conviction.	Heart
Fluorite, Rainbow	Strength & Conviction, Purpose	All
Fluorite, Yellow	Follow the feeling, Say how you feel	Sacral
Fossilised Coral (Agatised)	Trust in yourself, Timeless, Trust, Respect	Root
Fossilised Wood	Financial Security, Prosperity	Root
Fuchsite	Don't give up, Determination, Keep the faith	Heart / Throat
Garnet, Green	Take a chance, Listen to your heart	Heart
Garnet, Orange	Luck, Opportunity, Chance	Solar Plexus
Garnet, Red	Helps fight trauma, Opportunity	Root
Hackmanite UV reactive	Understanding, See things as they are	All
Hematite	Grounding, Stress Relief, Will Power	Root
Hemimorphite	Transformation, Psychic Awareness	Heart & Throat
Howlite	See things for what they truly are, Face Value	All
Iolite	Spiritual Awareness, Focus, Follow your dreams	Crown
Isua Ancient	Wisdon, You know what you need to know	Root
Jade, African	See the beauty within, Be yourself	Heart
Jade, Dragons	Stand up for yourself and others, Matters of the heart	Heart
Jadeite, aka Jade	Remove illusion, Clarity, Hearts desire	Heart
Jasper, Banded Red	Make a mends, Stability, Everything Changes	Root
Jasper, Brecciated	Second Chances, Luck, Help in times of change	Root / All
Jasper, Convoluted	Dream Retention, Get a grip	Root
Jasper, Dragonstone	Protector of the heart chakra, Inner Strength	Root & Heart
Jasper, Flower	Will power, Guidance, Commitment	Root / Sacral
Jasper, Kambaba	Protection, Keep the faith, Self-love	Root / Heart
Jasper, Leopardskin	Impulsiveness, Ability to overcome, Take it in your stride	Root
Jasper, Nguni	Grounds the Solar Plexus allowing emotional control	Root / Solar Plexus
Jasper, Picture	Look within, see things as they are, Speak with love	Root, Solar Plexus
Jasper, Polychrome	Keep in touch, Listen to your feelings	Various / All
Jasper, Rainbow	Ignore the first impression, Think again	Root
Jasper, Red	Impulsiveness, Take a moment to gather your thoughts	Root
Jasper, Silverleaf	Attentiveness, Make things happen faster	Solar Plexus
Jasper, Yellow	Go with your feelings, Stability	Solar Plexus
Jasper, Zebra, Pink	Do things your way! Dare to be different	Heart
Jet	Follow your instinct, Trust your ability	Root
Kunzite	Chill out and relax, Take time for yourself	Heart
Kyanite	Energising, Personal Magic Follow your dreams	Throat
Labradorite	Protects Aura, Spirituality, Understanding	Throat / Brow / Crown
Lapis Lazuli	Communication, Listening, Truth, Wisdom	Throat
Larimar	Clairvoyance, Tell the truth, Just say what you mean	Throat
Larvikite	Clairvoyance, Psychic development, Grounding	Root / Throat
Lava	Let go, Don't hold on! Free yourself	Root
Lepidolite	Aura Cleansing, Clear thinking	Brow / Crown
Libyan Desert Glass	Letting Go, Perspective, Trust Issues	See Note*
Limonite in Quartz	Grounding, Self-control, Discipline	Root
Magnesite, Ivory	Overthinking, Decisiveness	All
Malachite	Transformation, Matters of love and the heart	Heart
Malacholla	Speak your heart, Let go of stress	Heart / Throat
Moldavite	Letting go, Moving On, Inner Vision	* See Note
Mookite	Stability, Acceptance, Be yourself	Depends on colour
Moonstone	Balances Emotions, Uplifting	Heart / All
Moonstone, Rainbow	See things from new perspective, Dreams	Heart / All
Moonstone, Peach	Softly does it, Ask for help	Root & Sacral
Morganite	Appreciation, Don't take things for granted	Heart
Moroxite	Communication, Listen to your heart	Heart / Throat
Muscovite	Lighten up! Don't be too serious	Brow & Crown
Nephrite, True Jade	Follow the heart, Soothes impulsiveness	Heart
Northosite	Live to your potential, Get things done	Root
Obsidian, Black	Protection, Creativity, Dispels Negativity	Root
Obsidian, Mahogany	Success, Stability, Slowly does it	Root
Obsidian, Rainbow	Grounding, See things in persprective	Root
Obsidian, Red	Grounding, Releasing	Root
Obsidian, Silver	Protection, Reflection, Contemplation	Root
Obsidian, Snowflake	Protection, Purity, Dispels Negativity	Root
Obsidian, Snowflake, Fancy	Dispels Negativity, Grounding, Reflection	Root
Onyx, Banded Green & Brown	Trust yourself, Learn new things	Root & Heart
Onyx, Black	Grounding, Get the job done	Root
Onyx, White	Think clearly before making a decision	All
Opal, Green	Love, Intuition, Listen to your heart.	Heart
Opal, Milky	Take your time, Planning	All
Opal, Pink	Listen to your heart, Grounds the heart chakra	Heart
Opal, Red	Stability, Develop Intuition, Motivation	Root
Pectolite in Quartz	Think before you speak! Say it with kindness	Throat
Peridot	Put yourself first, Self-love	Heart
Pietersite, Golden	See the bigger picture, Be true to yourself	Root / Solar Plexus
Pinolith	See the good in a bad situation, Perspective	Root / All
Prehnite	True love, self-esteem, Self-love	Heart
Pyrite	Keep focus and perspective, Get the job done!	Root
Pyrite, Jurassic	Settling, Grounding, Letting go	Root
Quartz, Clear	Healing, Balance, Harmony	All
Quartz, Garden	In touch with the Earth, Peace, Grounding	Heart / All
Quartz, Hematoid (Golden Healer)	Stability, Get up & go, Motivation, Discipline	Root / All
Quartz, Milky / White	Healing, Balance, Harmony, Clear the way, Tread Carefully	All
Quartz, Rose	Unconditional Love, Calm, Focus	Heart
Quartz, Rutilated	Work with angels, Keep Focus, Concentration	All
Quartz, Smokey	Focus on now, Personal Drive, Grounding, Calm down	Root
Quartz, Strawberry	Balance, Harmony, Dare to be different	Heart
Quartz, with Chlorite	"Shamanic Dream Stone" Daydream	Root / Heart
Quartz, with Tourmaline	Brings grounding to other chakras, Balance, Perspective	Root / All
Rhodonite	Balance, Love & Stability	Root & Heart
Ruby	Matters of the heart, Self-love, Healing	Root & Heart
Ruby in Fuchsite	Remember to love yourself, Self-worth	Root & Heart
Ruby in Rhyolite	Love everyone, let your heart guide you	Root & Heart
Ruby in Zoisite	Impulsiveness, Desire, Self-love, Clarity, Stability	Root / Heart
Saffordite	Letting go, Moving On, Fresh Perspective	Root
Sardonyx, Crazy Banded	Trust Yourself, Letting Go, Make a plan	Root / All
Sardonyx, Dark	Grounding, Trust, Confidence, Balance, Hope	Root / Sacral
Sardonyx, Green Banded	Steadies the heart chakra, Care	Root
Sardonyx, Orange & Cream	Balancing, Uplifting, Be different	Root / Heart
Sardonyx, Zebra (Evil Eye)	Go with the flow, Gentle Grounding	Root
Selenite, Orange	Strength, Something unusual, Be Strong	Sacral / Solar Plexus
Selenite, White	Cleansing, Purification, Strong Foundations & Fresh Starts	All
Septarian	Have a laugh, Don't be too serious	Root
Serpentine, Banded	Harmony, Peace. Love	Heart
Serpentine, Peruvian	Balancing the heart, Harmony	Heart
Shiva Lingham	Focus on the little things in life, Harmony	All
Shungite	Grounding, Protection, Do what you say you'll do!	Root
Sodalite	Calms the Mind, Communication	Throat
Spinel (Galaxite)	Grounding, Thinking out of the box	Root
Sugalite	Activator, Overcome Psychic Attacks	Crown
Sunstone	Reduces attention seeking, Self-worth, Dignity	Sacral
Talc, Pink	Softness, Calming, Love	Heart
Tektite	Think Big, Overcome, Put others first, Far Out!	* See Note
Thulite	Be a big softie, Show how you feel	Heart
Tiger Iron	Stability, Trust in yourself. Grounding	Root
Tiger's Eye, Blue	Confidence in what you say, Communication	Root / Throat
Tiger's Eye, Gold	Courage, Confidence in what you do	Root / Solar Plexus
Tiger's Eye, Green	Confidence in matters of the heart	Root / Heart
Tiger's Eye, Red	Courage, Trust your instincts.	Root
Tigrina	Gentleness, Grounding, Confidence	Root & Sacral
Topaz, Blue	Communication, Psychic Development	Throat / Brow
Tourmaline, Black	Understanding, Protection	Root
Tourmaline, Pink	Softly does it, Take your time, Follow your heart	Heart
Tourmaline, Rainbow	Put others first but remember to take time for yourself	All
Turquoise, African	Dare to be fifferent, Think before you speak	Root & Throat
Unakite	Togetherness, Understanding	Heart
Yoopersite	See the beauty within, Be yourself	Root / Sacral
Zoisite	Stability, Trust your heart	Root	Zoisite often contains flecks of ruby, Ruby-Zoisite is listed seperately
Not all shown are stocked

* Moldavite & Tektite are not recommended for chakra balancing. They contain extra-terrestrial energy that can make some people disorientated or feel unwell. It is true that some people work with well with them. We have had experience of how these are not suitable for use on any chakra.