Synthetic stones: are they useful at all?

I just purchased a small piece of blue goldstone yesterday at a local metaphysical shop. They also had the "traditional" golden-bronze color, but I prefered the blue. Anyway, the shopkeeper informed me that this is NOT a natural stone, but a man-made one (and yet I still paid $2 for it....am I NUTS???).

It does look like a "real" stone....yet I wonder how it could possibly have any actual healing and/or magickal properties if it is synthetic??? I googled it and found a website that actually credits goldstone with opening the third-eye chakra, among other things....hmmmm???

Anyone have any thoughts on goldstone, or whether or not synthetic stones in general have any value other than aesthetic???

I look forward to hearing from other rockhounds....

Luna

colours can have healing properties!

Happy happy joy joy!! (Sorry... could expound on this topic for hours... )

As you know, both blue and brown goldstone are manmade - colored glass and copper shavings. Copper's a metal of Earth, Venus, and is generally thought to have properties regarding love, prosperity, and I believe it's attributed to the heart chakra.

I don't use any of the goldstones. They simply don't work for me; I know where they come from, and in everyday life I am so surrounded by glass and copper that it just doesn't work at all for me.

Lab-created gems, on the other hand, are only allowed to be sold as a lab-created (whatever) because they exhibit the same chemical and structural properties as their authentic counterparts. These I can work with; although there are many elements in a natural gem that are in proportions waaaay too small to detect and reliably duplicate within the replicated gem, they're still close enough to throw off the same vibe for me.

Then there's the point regarding helenite - manmade gem from Mt St Helens ash, and despite that, resembles a natural gem more than a manmade. Oi.

Lab gems vs real gems, to me, is like natural vs synthetic patchouli oil. Slightly different smell, but close enough that both are easily recognized as patchouli.

But as for use, if you like it, keep it, charge it, and use it. Copper's good for holding charges, and glass is an inert material. Blue's very good for third eye stuff, divination, healing, and peace.

Illy

Ilithiya said:

Lab gems vs real gems, to me, is like natural vs synthetic patchouli oil. Slightly different smell, but close enough that both are easily recognized as patchouli.

But as for use, if you like it, keep it, charge it, and use it. Copper's good for holding charges, and glass is an inert material. Blue's very good for third eye stuff, divination, healing, and peace.

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Thanks for the information (and ENTHUSIASM ) Ilithiya!

I had no idea that the "gold" sparkles are actually copper dust; the woman who sold them to me knew nothing about how it was made or what its properties might be....lucky for her that I was mesmerized by its appearance or I may have decided not to get it...but seriously, I am glad I did!!!

I should mention the color, for those of you not familiar with it....

Blue goldstone is actually a very deep, almost purple-black color, with lots of beautiful, shimmery glitter-dust all over it....in the sunlight it is AMAZING!!! I think maybe I should have gotten the golden-brown one too.....

Luna

Hi Luna,

I don't think that you are nuts for buying this stone . You bought it because you liked it and $2.00 is o.k.

Although (as already mentioned in this thread) synthetic stones are lab created stones made up of the same chemical composition as their natural counterparts, I don't feel that they have the same power/healing properties. But this is just my personal opinion. I like to know that my stones spent some time in the earth being formed not in a scientific lab.

In the case of goldstone, what Ilithiya said made a lot of sense.

Ruby7

Ruby7 said:

I like to know that my stones spent some time in the earth being formed not in a scientific lab.

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LOL Ruby...that is EXACTLY what I was thinking when I bought this fake rock yesterday!!! I have never knowingly purchased a synthetic stone before, so I was questioning my sanity for a moment but...ah, what the hey....it is pretty anyway!!!

Luna

I do buy synthetic stones sometimes if I like the look of them for jewellery, just wouldn't use them for healing properties

Ruby7

I guess the question you might want to ask is, is it made from natural substances? I'd have different feelings about a stone made from crushed minerals that I consider healing than I would about polymer clay "rocks."

You might also want to consider that your tarot cards are manmade, and whether any other objects you consider helpful are manmade. Natural materials in their natural state certainly have their uses for healing and magic, but so do some manmade things, don't you think?

Nevada

Nevada said:

You might also want to consider that your tarot cards are manmade, and whether any other objects you consider helpful are manmade. Natural materials in their natural state certainly have their uses for healing and magic, but so do some manmade things, don't you think?

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EXCELLENT point, Nevada.....I hadn't really thought of it that way! I have decided that I will treat my goldstone like any other stone: cleanse it and charge it....and love it!!!!

Whatever else may or may not happen, at least I can enjoy its physical beauty and smooth texture in my hand.....

Luna

Perhaps the best way to decide whether or not goldstone works for you is to try it Notice how you feel when you hold it in your hand, or gaze at it. Place it over your chakras, and see if you feel anything for each one. Carry it with you, get to know it, and listen for anything it might have to say to you.

You might not work well with synthetic stones, but then again you might work with them even better than natural stones.

I agree that since it caught your eye and drew you in so strongly, there must be something in it for you