Crystals can be a sometimes thing.

(I wrote a whole message here, then accidently hit the wrong key and the whole damn thing up and disappeared. I'll try again. [Dratted Vista!])

A quite small, rough emerald, helped me to find some missing papers for the IRS. I was extremely grateful. But when I tried it again for another missing object, it just yawned and went to sleep. The friend who gave it to me said that emeralds are good for clearing confusion.
(Believe me, I want no confusion with the IRS!)

A similar thing has happened with other crystals. They can be a very good thing at times, then ignore any other requests.

I know some of the things one should do to rid them of the negative energies they pick up helping with your problems -- putting them in the sun for a while, or leaving them in salt water over night.

Or maybe there's the concept that one should approach a problem from a different perspective.

Any suggestions?

I have had 2 amethyst pendulums in the last 10 years. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they most certainly did not! I would love to say they had a life of their own. But the practicality is it just wasn't my thing. The only suggestion I may have here, is we get things when we need them instead of when we want them? Other than this bit of babble I am clueless