Crystal Care Guide
Most crystal care advice on the internet will damage your stones. It tells you to cleanse everything in water and charge everything in sunlight, and for a good number of the stones you own, those are the two fastest ways to ruin them.
This is the short version of what actually matters. It is written around the stones I sell, so it is about the things in your hands rather than a general list.
The two rules that prevent almost all damage
Some stones dissolve in water. Not "should be dried carefully." Dissolve. If a stone is soft or fibrous, water gets into it and it never comes back.
Some stones fade in sunlight. The color you paid for leaves, slowly and permanently, and a sunny windowsill is the most common place people put crystals.
Everything below is really just these two rules applied to particular stones.
Never leave these in direct sun
Amethyst fades. This is the one that surprises people most. Deep purple goes pale grey lilac over a few months of afternoon sun and it does not come back.
Fluorite loses its greens and purples the same way.
Rose quartz goes from pink to nearly white.
Celestite, apatite, sodalite and chrysoprase all fade. Smoky quartz lightens.
An hour of morning light will not hurt anything. A south facing windowsill all summer will.
Never put these in water
Selenite will start to dissolve almost immediately and go cloudy and soft. It is gypsum, which is water soluble. A damp cloth is already too much.
Calcite in all its forms, including honey calcite, Caribbean calcite and the nailhead clusters, is soft and reacts to anything acidic. Water dulls the polish over time.
Malachite should never be soaked. It contains copper and it can release copper into the water. Dust it dry and wash your hands afterward.
Angelite, celestite and halite are all soft or soluble. Keep them dry.
Anything raw, clustered or on matrix. Water gets into the crevices, sits there, and lifts crystals off the rock as it dries.
Anything on a stand with glue. Water finds the adhesive before it finds anything else.
What is actually safe in water: quartz, agate and most jasper are hard, non porous and will not mind a rinse in cool water. Even then, dry them properly. There is nothing a long soak gives you that a short rinse does not.
How to actually clean a crystal
For nearly everything, a soft dry cloth is the whole answer. Microfiber works well. Dust is the only thing most crystals ever accumulate.
For polished pieces with a fingerprint problem, breathe on it and wipe it, the way you would clean glasses.
For raw clusters and druzy pockets, use a soft dry paintbrush or a makeup brush. It gets into the crevices and lifts dust out without pushing it further in.
For a genuinely dirty hard stone like agate or quartz, cool water, no soap, and dry it fully before it goes back on the shelf.
Never use vinegar, bleach, or any household cleaner. Never use hot water on anything, because sudden temperature changes crack stone.
If you like to cleanse them
I am not going to tell you what to believe. I will tell you which methods will not wreck your stone.
Safe for everything: smoke, sound, moonlight, leaving it on the earth outside overnight, or setting it on a piece of selenite.
Safe for some things: sunlight, only for the stones not on the fading list above, and only briefly.
Safe for very little: water, salt water and salt. Salt is abrasive, it works its way into raw crystals and pits the surface, and salt water combines both problems.
If you want one method that works on everything you own and cannot go wrong, use moonlight. Leave it out overnight. Nothing fades in moonlight.
Handling and display
Fluorite, calcite, selenite and apatite are much softer than they look and they chip if they knock together. Give them their own space rather than a crowded shelf.
Towers and spheres roll. A sphere on a hard floor will chip and a tall tower on a narrow shelf will eventually fall. The stands are not decorative.
Store anything you are not displaying wrapped separately in a soft cloth. Stones scratch each other, and the harder ones win.
The honest bit
Crystals are rock. They have been through more than your shelf will ever do to them. You do not need to be precious about this.
Keep them out of long direct sun, keep the soft ones dry, dust them now and then, and they will outlast you by a considerable margin.
Every piece from Shop Gems & Stems is chosen by hand in Cypress, Texas.
Questions about a particular stone are always welcome.
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