Crystals for Beginners?

Just wondering if there a reference anyone could suggest to give a beginner an idea of various crystals/stones and their uses/powers/properties?

I am a total newbie when it comes to such topics, but the more I read in this forum, the more I'm interested in learning more. I've always been drawn to certain stones in crystal form...such as amethyst (birthstone)... as well as to certain polished stones like those found in jewelry. I personally use Hematite a lot when creating my own jewelry pieces... but I also have rose quartz, turquoise, and other natural stones...

If anyone could suggest a good website or even a good thread in this forum, it would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks in advance!
PR

Hey there this might help you http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=31921&highlight=Crystal+books

or http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=79246&page=1&pp=10&highlight=crystal+book

and... http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=80023&highlight=crystal+book

Thanks Wumpkie!

Investing in the Crystal Bible is well worth it, too. Each entry has lovely photos of the crystal/mineral in both its raw form and polished or cut form, what countries it comes from, what its attributes are and how to use them, as well as a nice section on crystal variations, like spheres, phantoms, etc. further back. If anything, it is filled with lovely photos to help identify those stones we all suddenly find ourselves craving and wondering why!

HearthCricket said:

Investing in the Crystal Bible is well worth it, too.

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Who is the author and where can we find this one? I googled it but there were several that came up.

If you have a local Coles, you might check their bargain section, as I recently found a deck of divination cards based on the various crystals, and it gives nice pics as well as info on properties, etc for each. One crystal per card. I don't have it on hand, but IIRC it's called The Crystal Deck, and I got it for about $6 CDN.

Waterfaery said:

Who is the author and where can we find this one? I googled it but there were several that came up.

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The Crystal Bible; A Definitive Guide to Crystals, by Judy Hall.

You will love it! Amazon has it, as well as many bookstores. You can ask for it in the Metaphysical section, or sometimes even gets popped into the rock field guide section. Just ask for a book in the "Bible" series (Feng Shui Bible, Wiccan Bible, Tarot Bible, Astrology Bible, etc.) There must be at least 10 in the series now. This is my favourite!

Judy Hall also has a book on Crystal Prescriptions

Its a book for healing and using crystals - how you use them and what for.

It is very helpful if you have an idea of what the problem is and need to know how to fix/protect etc. Such as what crystal help around computers, what ones are good for cleansing and so on...

I got my copy of the Crystal Bible from Ebay (a local seller) but I have also seen it in several bookshops.

Enjoy your crystals!!

I have found two other books besides the Crystal Bible that I absolutely love. One is The Crystal Healer by Philip Permntt and the other is The Book of Stones by Robert Simmons and Naisha Ashian. They are fantastic books with great pictures and a wealth of information.

I absolutely second (or third or fourth or however many people vouched for) the 'Crystal Bible' by Judy Hall, and also cant say enough good things about 'The Book of Stones" by Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian, which you can buy from heavenandearthjewelry.com.

And while you're there, request a free catalog from them. The catalog is about 150+ pages of great pictures of just tons of jewelry, faceted, raw, and tumbled, as well as raw and tumbled stones, with great descriptions of the stones origins and thier metaphysical properties.