Care and Safety

A few simple habits keep stones looking their best and keep you and your household safe. This page covers cleaning, the personal ritual of cleansing, water-sensitive and toxic stones, fading in sunlight, children and pets, and fakes and dyed stones. It is general guidance, and each stone’s own guide has more detail.

Cleaning, in the practical sense

For most hard, durable stones such as quartz, garnet and jade, the best cleaning is the gentlest: lukewarm water, a drop of mild soap, a soft cloth or brush, a rinse and a thorough dry. Avoid hot water, steam cleaners and ultrasonic machines for anything with fractures or inclusions, and for softer or cleavable stones. Take jewellery off before swimming, washing, cleaning or applying cosmetics. If a stone has a glued base, wire wrapping, dye or a coating, the safest approach is a dry cloth.

Cleansing, as personal ritual

In many crystal traditions, people speak of cleansing a stone, which means clearing away the associations it has gathered so that it feels fresh in the hand. Methods people use include holding a stone under moonlight, placing it on a selenite plate, passing it through incense smoke, setting it on earth or simply sitting quietly with it. There is no scientific basis for the idea that stones need cleansing, and we present it as what it is: a personal ritual, like lighting a candle or laying out a prayer mat. If a ritual means something to you, it is worth doing, and there is no need to do it if it does not.

The practical side is worth knowing, because some of these methods can damage stones:

• Water and salt. Not every stone tolerates water, and salt and salt water can damage porous stones and corrode metal settings. See the lists below.
• Sun and moonlight. Moonlight is harmless, but strong sun is not suitable for every stone.
• Smoke. Keep stones and flames away from each other, and take care with smoke near fabric, dried herbs and small children.
• Earth and rice. Burying a stone can scratch or lose it, and damp soil can mark porous stones.

Stones that should not be wetted

Water does more harm than good to some stones. Keep these dry, or use a barely damp cloth and dry at once:

• Selenite dissolves slowly in water. See the selenite guide.
• Malachite is soft, dissolves in acids and releases copper compounds. See the malachite guide.
• Pyrite can oxidise in damp air and break down. See the pyrite guide.
• Turquoise and lapis lazuli are porous and can discolour. See the turquoise guide and the lapis lazuli guide.
• Fluorite is soft and easily damaged by rinsing and hot water. See the fluorite guide.
• Opal and pearl contain water or are organic and are damaged by dryness, acids and chemicals. See the birthstones section.
• Stones with dye, resin, glue or foil, which can be loosened or stained by water.

Toxic stones and elixirs

Some stones contain elements that should never be swallowed. Malachite contains copper, and rhodonite contains manganese. Amazonite can contain traces of lead. Pyrite and fluorite are not safe to swallow either, and many stones sold as raw pieces may carry other minerals we cannot see. The rule for this whole site is simple: never swallow a stone, and never put a stone in water you or anyone else will drink.

So-called crystal elixirs or gem waters are a popular idea. The indirect method, in which a stone is placed in a separate sealed container beside a glass of water, is sometimes described as safe. That avoids direct contact, but a sealed container that leaks, or a mistake in the method, can defeat it, and we therefore do not recommend preparing any drink with any stone. Many stones are also shaped, dyed or glued in ways that are not meant to be in contact with drinking water.

Dust from cutting or grinding stone is another hazard. Silica dust from quartz and many other stones and copper dust from malachite should not be inhaled, and people who shape stones should use wet methods and proper protection. Owners of polished pieces are not usually at risk from dust.

Sun and fading

Some stones fade in strong light or heat. Amethyst, rose quartz and smoky quartz can lose colour with long exposure to sunlight, and turquoise and natural citrine can also change. Heat can alter colour in some stones. Solid spheres of clear quartz or glass can also concentrate sunlight and start a fire, so keep them away from windowsills, curtains and paper. As a rule, display stones away from direct sun, and keep jewellery away from radiators, hot cars and hairdryers.

Children and pets

Small tumbled stones look like sweets to a young child, and they are a choking hazard. Some, such as malachite, contain copper, and polished stones can have dye or glue that should not be swallowed. Keep stones, especially small or toxic ones, out of reach of young children and of pets, which may chew or swallow them. Sharp stones such as raw obsidian and quartz points can cause cuts. If a child or animal swallows a stone, contact a doctor or a vet promptly.

Fakes and dyed stones

The crystal trade has its share of imitations, and it is worth knowing the common ones:

• Glass sold as quartz, obsidian, labradorite or aventurine. Glass tends to show round bubbles and a too-perfect look.
• Dyed stones, such as dyed howlite sold as turquoise, dyed agate as carnelian, and dyed quartz sold in very bright colours. Colour pooling in cracks is a giveaway.
• Heated or irradiated stones, which are normal if disclosed. A large share of citrine is heated amethyst, and much dark smoky quartz is irradiated.
• Reconstituted stones, made from powder and resin, sold as turquoise or malachite.
• Synthetic stones grown in laboratories, which are chemically real but not natural.

An honest seller will tell you what a stone is and whether it has been treated. For an expensive stone, a report from a gemmological laboratory is the only reliable check.

Where stones come from

Stones are mined in many places, and in some the conditions are hard. Wikipedia cites reports of Madagascan miners earning a tiny fraction of a stone’s retail price, and other sources describe problems of child labour, conflict financing and unsafe workings in parts of the trade. Where it matters to you, ask where a stone was mined and how it was bought, and prefer sellers who can answer. Our guide pages mention known concerns for individual stones.

A note on health. Crystals are valued for beauty, meaning and ritual. There is no scientific evidence that they treat health conditions. If you are struggling with your health or mood, please speak to a doctor.

Frequently asked questions