General 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?
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 | Zodiac | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agate, Botzwana, Grey | Stability, Take your time, Take small steps | Root | ||
| Agate, Botzwana, Pink | Calm down! Keep your cool. | Heart | ||
| Agate, Coyaminto, Crazy Lace | See things clearly, Remove Illusion, Peace | Root | ||
| Agate, Moss, Pink | Aura Protecting, Follow your instinct. | Heart | ||
| Agate, Turritella | Helps in times of Change | Root | ||
| Agate, Zebrastone | Calming, Blend in or Stand Out! | Root / Heart | ||
| 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 | |
| Ametrine | Find the balance, Inner peace | Sacral / Brow | ||
| 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 | Grounding, Respect for Nature | Sacral / Solar Plexus | ||
| Aventurine, Green | Leadership, Creativity, Love | Heart | ||
| Aventurine, Peach | Lead by example, Trust | Sacral | ||
| Aventurine, Ruby Red | Lead by following your instinct | Root / Sacral | ||
| Bloodstone | Inner Guidance, Intuition | Root / Heart | ||
| Bronzite | Stability, Personal Space, Growth | Root / Sacral / Solar Plexus | ||
| Calcite, Honey | Stability, Ability to attract the right people | Sacral / Solar Plexus | ||
| Calcite, Mangano | Sensitivity, Listen to your heart | Heart | ||
| Calcite, Orange | Studying, Mental Attitude, Concentration, Teaching | Sacral | ||
| Carnelian | Concentration, Studying, Balancing | Root / Sacral | ||
| Chalcedony, Blue (Blue Carnelian) | Stabitlity, Speak from the heart, Truth | Heart | ||
| Charoite | Positive thinking, Put others First | Crown | ||
| 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 | ||
| Dumortierite | Reality, Understanding | Throat | ||
| Epidote | Healing, Work with conviction. | Heart | ||
| Fluorite | Strength & Conviction, Purpose | All | ||
| Fossilised Coral | Trust in yourself, Timeless, Trust, Respect | Root | ||
| Fossilised Wood | Financial Security, Prosperity | Root | ||
| Fuschite | Don't give up, Determination, Keep the faith | Heart / Throat | ||
| Garnet, Orange | Luck, Opportunity, Chance | Solar Plexus | ||
| Garnet, Red | Helps fight trauma, Opportunity | Root | ||
| Hematite | Grounding, Stress Relief, Will Power | Root | ||
| Howlite | See things for what they truly are, Face Value | All | ||
| Jadeite, aka Jade | Remove illusion, Clarity, Hearts desire | Heart | ||
| Jasper, Brecciated | Second Chances, Luck, Help in times of change | Root / All | ||
| Jasper, Kambaba | Protection, Keep the faith, Self-love | Root / Heart | ||
| Jasper, Leopardskin | Impulsiveness, Ability to overcome, Take it in your stride | Root | ||
| Jasper, Picture | Look within, see things as they are, Speak with love | Root, Solar Plexus | ||
| Jasper, Red | Impulsiveness, Take a moment to gather your thoughts | Root | ||
| Jasper, Yellow | Go with your feelings, Stability | Solar Plexus | ||
| Jet | Follow your instinct, Trust your ability | Root | ||
| Kyanite | Energising, “Personal Magic!” Follow your dreams | Throat | ||
| Labradorite | Protects Aura, Spirituality, Understanding | Throat / Brow / Crown | ||
| Lapis Lazuli | Communication, Listening, Truth, Wisdom | Throat | ||
| Lepidolite | Aura Cleansing, Clear thinking | Brow / Crown | ||
| Magnesite, Ivory | Overthinking, Decisiveness | All | ||
| Malachite | Transformation, Matters of love and the heart | Heart | ||
| 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 | ||
| Morganite | Appreciation, Don't take things for granted | Heart | ||
| Nephrite, aka Jade | Follow the heart, Soothes impulsiveness | Heart | ||
| Obsidian, Black | Protection, Creativity, Dispels Negativity | Root | ||
| Obsidian, Mahogany | Success, Stability, Slowly does it | Root | ||
| Obsidian, Snowflake | Protection, Purity, Dispels Negativity | Root | ||
| Onyx, White | Think clearly before making a decision | All | ||
| Opal, Green | Love, Intuition, Listen to your heart. | Heart | ||
| Opal, Pink | Listen to your heart, Grounds the heart chakra | Heart | ||
| Pietersite, Golden | See the bigger picture, Be true to yourself | Root / Solar Plexus | ||
| Prehnite | True love, self-esteem, Self-love | Heart | ||
| Pyrite | Keep focus and perspective, Get the job done! | Root | ||
| Quartz, Clear | Healing, Balance, Harmony | 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 Tourmaline | Brings grounding to other chakras, Balance, Perspective | Root / All | ||
| Ruby-Zoisite | Impulsiveness, Desire, Self-love, Clarity, Stability | Root / Heart | ||
| Sardonyx | Balancing, Uplifting, Be different | Root / Heart | ||
| Selenite | Cleansing, Purification, Strong Foundations & Fresh Starts | All | ||
| Serpentine, Peruvian | Balancing the heart, Harmony | Heart | ||
| Shattuckite | "It's not what you say, it's the way that you say it!" | Heart / Throat | ||
| Shiva Lingham | Focus on the little things in life, Harmony | All | ||
| Sodalite | Calms the Mind, Communication | Throat | ||
| Sugalite | Activator, Overcome Psychic Attacks | Crown | ||
| Tektite | Think Big, Overcome, Put others first, “Far Out!” | * See Note | ||
| Tiger Iron | Stability, Trust in yourself. Grounding | Root | ||
| Tiger’s Eye, Green | Confidence in matters of the heart | Root / Heart | ||
| 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, Red | Courage, Trust your instincts. | Root | ||
| Tourmaline, Black | Understanding, Protection | Root | ||
| Unakite | Togetherness, Understanding | Heart | ||
| 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.