How do you store your rocks and crystals?

Amsonia

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I do keep my larger specimens out on display...and I have a variety of quartz points that are in one of my terrariums...shooting up out of the ground like a crystal forest...and a jade elephant in there too....
 

linnie

It's important to know your crystals well before letting them out in contact with the elements.

Some crystals will fade in the sunlight, like amethyst and celestite. Others, like you mentioned, can become damaged by water, like selenite (or any form of gypsum actually, because it's a soft mineral) and angelite. Some, like sulphur crystals, can dissolve completely in water. Chalcopyrite can lose its brassy colour upon weathering. And so on.

But I agree that letting them in contact with the earth itself sometimes gives them a very special spark. :) Personally, I keep my crystals in a small straw basket with a lid... I believe the natural material preserves their energy better.
I couldn't agree more re your warning re knowing what your crystals are before offering them certain cleanses etc... My mention of dissolvable was related to all dissolvable stones such as those you mention, Gypsum, Selenite and etc. I did forget to mention that sunning for too long a period can bleach colour from some stones... Thank you for mentioning those caveats. :)

Malachite and Lapis, Sodalite and others don't care for too much sun, lest they lose their colour, and there are many others. It really is important to know your stones, for many reasons :) Others, (what's that one that is just crystallised salt..??? ) Hyalite, maybe, dissolves even from atmospheric moisture (ie humidity) alone!!

But... I've had amethyst outside literally for years, and it hasn't faded an iota... :)bugeyed:), and Serpentine and rose quartz have also lived outside for several years in my labyrinth, through all seasons, without loss of colour etc. I wonder if the amethyst that fades, or even smokey quartz, is the stuff that has been irradiated to make it darker anyway??? Just a thought...

Oh! :) Friends I visited this year have a coffee table made of one of those trays, with a sheet of glass on top - each little section had something personal and/or old in it, such as a personalised key fob, an old passport photo, a needle case, a peg doll, a ring, all sorts of things. I honestly don't remember if they had crystals as such (not that kind of people) but I'm pretty sure some of the sections contained pretty shells.

Something similar filled with crystals would make a wonderful table, or wall decoration, or something. Especially if the glass could be lifted to get at them... which might spoil it as a piece of furniture, but there are loads of possibilities for the creative. :)

If I ever see one for sale, I'm determined to grab it and make a table like that.
Yes, I'd like to make a whole table top for larger pieces, as this one has smallish compartments, and I'd like my larger crystals to live somewhere they can be seen better day to day. All of my daughters have sought and found those letter press/typesetter trays, and have tiny collectibles in them. The're lovely! :)
 

linnie

Here are more of my best-loved Crystal Friends... although other favourites are still dotted all about the house :D

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How cool, the attachment thing worked!!! :D The red cupboard is rather loud, granted.. I only just brought it home from a shed at my mum's... clearly, toning down would be more gentle on the crystals :)



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linnie

Can anyone please offer suggestions re what stone they think the black egg just left of centre on the bottom of first image is? It wasn't labelled or recognised when I bought it and I want to be sure... It's just plain black, same colour as the smaller egg of jet sitting above it, but it has a more glossy (but not glassy) finish to it. It doesn't really feel glassy like obsidian... and beyond the higher polish 'feels' more opaque, somehow..

Sardonyx, maybe??? :)

Thank you for any suggestions :)
 

Padma

I think it is onyx. It has less glassy gloss than obsidian, and is denser. (and *feels* denser! It's a water feel stone, to me.)

A lot of onyx on the market today is actually chalcedony. :)
 

earthair

I just found a wonderful carved box in my local charity shop- it fits all my crystal bags perfectly :) I am now tidy and organised.