Each gemstone comes with its unique energy of great support on our spiritual path. They are not only beautiful and stylish, but also allies in our everyday life. As you are reading this blog, you are probably already crazy about crystals and then, your question isn't why invite the energy of crystals into your life, but how to choose the right ones for you when there is so much choice. So I will present to you many things you can consider but of course, the point isn't to overthink, but simply to get more inspiration and be creative! Let's dig into that to find the perfect gems for you.
Choose by properties
Using gemstones for their properties isn't new at all: our oldest available documentation was written by the ancient Sumerians (4500 to 2000 BC), which doesn't even mean they were the first ones to use crystals. As Ancient Egyptians later, Sumerians used crystals not only as jewelry and amulets but also in magic rituals. Ancient Greeks also used gemstones, attributing them healing virtues (for example the Amethyst - which means "not intoxicate" - would be worn to avoid inebriation or ease hangovers). Middle Age Europeans, Hopi Native Americans, China, India, etc.gemstones were valued in many cultures throughout history. Through experimentation and careful documentation, people discovered incredible virtues in crystals, from physical qualities to spiritual properties, precious to take care of ourselves in a holistic way.
If you want to choose by properties, you'll find additional information on the page of each one of my creations, but feel free to also consult the many great books about the subject.
The deeper you'll dive into lithotherapy, the more you'll be able to choose with precision. For example, both Amethyst and Unakite, gemstones completely different in shade, opacity, and aspect, could help you experience psychic visions. But if you need to feel calm to experience these visions, Amethyst is the gem for you while Unakite will be the best if you need an ally to ground yourself more easily after your session. Many gemstones can help to reach the same goal, but the context will help you choose the right one.
Also note that no matter how many books or websites describe a specific effect of a gemstone, the feeling might be different for you: you are a unique individual with your own sensibility, which will affect your experience with your crystal.
Pick by colors
Many witchcraft books recommend choosing your gemstone based on its color, for a specific purpose, and I do believe this approach totally works. Looking for a feeling of joy? Citrine will indeed give you that, and it is yellow. In need of a boost of creativity? The orange carnelian will do that for you. Do you want more passion in your life? The deep red garnet is waiting for you. As you can see, gems often do have properties matching their colors, and that's why sometimes simple ways to choose work so well. I'll share some key ideas but feel free to experiment and find the best colors for you!
Red:
This color is perfect to bring more passion and lust into your life. Red is also great for situations requiring action, in the domain of career especially. It is a great color to catch attention, one you should consider if you are an artist or working in entertainment. In tarot, red is used to represent knowledge, just peaking through under blue robes symbolizing wisdom.
Example: Garnet, red jasper
Sweeter than red, pink shows us the way to love and self-love. Often associated with feminine energy, pink is also the color of friendship and spiritual healing.
Example: Rose quartz, rhodonite
Color of confidence, personal strength, and ambition, orange is also the color of creativity. Motivating and stimulating, orange helps us to act while keeping our emotional and physical sides balanced/
Example: Orange carnelian
Yellow:
Great to invite more joy in your life, yellow is also the color of intellect and mental clarity. It helps shy people to open up, and improve speech in general.
Example: Citrine, yellow amber
Green:
Emotionally smoothing, green is a great color to find balance. Many green gemstones can be used to bring success and prosperity, and of course, it is much deeper than the stones being of the color of dollars, but thousands of years of experience to feel the effect to get more abundance.
Example: Green aventurine, malachite
Blue:
Color of wisdom and truth, blue is wonderful for intellectual matters too. Concerns of the mind can be eased with blue gemstones. Blue crystals are great for communication and listening.
Example: Sodalite, blue lace agate
Strongly associated with the third eye, indigo gemstones are awesome to develop our intuition.
Example: Lapis Lazuli
Color of spirituality, purple is the shade you can use to get psychic visions and guidance.
Example: Amethyst, purple agate
Brown:
Feel safe and stable using brown gemstones.
Example: Picture jasper, petrified wood
Protecting and grounding, black gemstones can also give you more authority. Black crystals can also be used for scrying, and to find peace and stability.
Example: Obsidian, Onyx
Representing peace and purity, white gemstones are great for transformation and freedom.
Example: clear quartz, apophyllite
Choose by chakra
Gemstones have the power to influence our chakras. So much potential to help balance our energy centers! Each one is important, so if you want to choose a crystal to work on one of your chakras, you can totally go for a gemstone that will stimulate a blocked or unbalanced one.
For example, if we are looking for a dowsing pendulum, as it is a divination tool, the first idea would be to go for a gemstone linked to the crown and third eye chakras, right? As these are the ones we use mostly for psychic experiences, this could seem logical. And it is in some measure: Lapis Lazuli and Amethyst are indeed incredible gems to work with for dowsing. But each chakra is solicited really in your spiritual work: we do need a healthy root chakra to feel grounded and safe, a balanced solar plexus chakra to be focused and confident in the magical work we do, and this goes on. It is totally fine to choose third eye and crown chakras gemstones, but all the other ones have something to bring to the table.
Choose by Zodiac sign
Helping my customers choose the perfect gem for them, they often indicate to me their Zodiac sign, and by that, I mean their Sun sign. Of course, your Sun sign can tell a lot about you, but let's not forget that all signs are present in your chart, even in the form of a house without a planet or transit. Also, working with a Zodiac sign isn't only working with your own chart, but working with an archetype, and how its values could help you to live your best life. Gemstones, as well as Zodiac signs, are multi-faceted. For this reason, you will see most of the time gemstones linked to multiple signs. This isn't in any way a limitation, but an invitation to explore and see what the energy of this gem provides you.
Choose by aesthetic appeal
With all the incredible properties of crystals, we could ask ourselves if aesthetics is important in the end. And let me tell you: it is! The more you'll adore your gem, the more you'll take care of it and create a deep relationship with it. This is especially important if you plan on using your crystal for an occult purpose. Being crazy for a pendant will turn it into the most powerful amulet, and falling in love with your pendulum will make it the most effective divination tool.
Choose by intuition
If you feel love at first sight for a gemstone, no need to look further: intuition and attraction for a crystal is a powerful sign that you just found the one for you. You might discover later why you had to have this gemstone in your life. Sometimes, you may also feel called to get a gem without knowing why and realize it was meant for a loved one: one of my customers felt the urge to get a rose quartz from my shop. Shortly after receiving it, her mother adored the necklace, and the soft, kind of energy of rose quartz helped her improve her life tremendously. I am still grateful to this adorable customer for sharing this adorable story of how this crystal helped one of her loved ones.
Feel free to explore why your intuition is guiding you to a crystal: even if you don't know why counsciously, your higher self knows.
Another consideration to keep in mind while choosing your crystals: Are you highly sensitive to crystal energy?
The answer to this question might tell you which kind of gemstone you could use for the best results, but also the size you should aim for to feel the energy. Some people could feel the energy of a crystal in another part of a room, while others would need to wear directly one on the skin to feel the vibration.
If you are highly sensitive to gems, the tiniest bead on a dowsing pendulum or jewelry piece can affect you, while big pendants and pendulums with bigger bobs will be more appropriate if you have less sensitivity. Being super sensitive to gems sounds really cool, but keep in mind that high sensitivity comes with some inconvenience.
Twice in my life, I had to help friends get out of a crystal shop as they almost fainted! One of them asked me just before entering the shop if I really believed in the energy of crystals, and you can bet she was convinced by her experience! As a creator working with gems every day, I feel blessed that I don't personally have this level of sensitivity, considering that my workspace is filled with tons of amazing gemstones.
Having a lower sensitivity also allows wearing everyday gems with incredible levels of energy, like celestial eye obsidian for example, while others would need a break from time to time to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the power of the crystal.
As you can see, having high or low sensitivity isn't better than the other: it only influences the way you'll work in the best way with crystals, but you'll get the most out of it either way.
But how can you know how sensitive you are? You can try an experience with a crystal: place your gem on a table, and stand away from it. Place your hand in front of you, and walk slowly in the direction of the gem. When do you start feeling the energy of the crystal? You can repeat this exercise as often as you want: the more you work on your capacity of feeling crystal energy, the more you'll develop your perception and get control of it.
Meditating with your crystals will also enhance your connection with them: what do they have to tell you, how would you describe what you feel? The more you do it, the more you'll know which ones help you the most.
In conclusion
Properties, Zodiac signs, colors, chakras... you have a lot of ressources and correspondances you can use to pick the right gem for you. But no need to overthink it at all! Working with crystals is inviting the best energies in your life, and this should be fun above all!