Cleaning and Buying Gemstones
There are many ways to clear crystals of negative energy. Here are some suggestions:
Outside method: Place in sunlight (see sunlight chart below), moonlight or rain (see water method) for up to a day. Placing the stone on or near a plant often quickens the process.
Crystal method: If the stone is small small, place it on a quartz or amethyst cluster. The cluster should be dedicated to this purpose with a clear intent. Clean your cluster every month or two in rain or sunlight if possible. Amethyst geodes work well too. This is a great way to clean necklaces!
- Sage tea method: hathor@primeline.com uses sage tea to cleanse hers. This is very effective with less possibility of damaging crystals. Since there are many crows and other birds who love bright shiny objects where she lives, she found out the hard way that setting crystals outside to wash in the rain and bask in the sun (or moonlight) was not going to work for her.
Take fresh sage if available and brew a pot of light tea; allow it to cool. Place your crystals in a bowl (use glass if possible) and pour the cooled tea over them. Hathor leaves hers in the sage tea overnight. Then remove them and rinse with clean, pure water. Since there are chemicals in most water systems you may prefer to use a gallon of distilled water.
If you can safely place crystals outside for nature to cleanse that is perfect, though you'll need to be able to distinguish which stones cleanse best by moonlight and which stones cleanse best by solar.
- Smudge method: Pass stones through the smoke of a scented incense such as sweetgrass, frankincense, sage or Dragon's Blood. Passing them through a candle flame also works.
- Water method: Place stones under alternating hot and cold running water for 5 minutes (or in the rain for many hours). I place stones in a plastic strainer and then alternate the hot and cold running water from the sink. It is good to have a water filter on your tap to filter out chemicals. This is quick and easy but has drawbacks: some stones loose their coatings when they get wet. Use caution with lapis, malachite and sodalight as they may get damaged faster. Cleaning these stones in the sun or moonlight works fine. [Note: Stones really like the rain. It cleans much better than the usual water method when the weather cooperates.]
- Homeopathic method: Some homeopathic solutions clean gemstones as well. I've successfully used NET (alcohol-free) homeopathics to clean stones. Other alcohol-free brands may work as well.
- Sea salt method: use 1 cup of sea salt to 2 cups natural spring water. Place stones in the salt, and let them soak for the better part of the day. If the day is sunny, let them dry in the sunshine for a few hours, or if you have lunar stones, lay in the moonlight on a windowsill through the night. BEWARE: polish may be removed using this method.
- Sand method: when all else fails or you are having a hard time cleaning something, bury it in moist sand (or soil). No wrappings. It will get gems clean but be aware that the polish is often removed when this method is used.
- Mirror Method: Place the gemstones on a mirror over night to clean them. (Thanks Ro!)
- Light Method: Bathe your gemstones in imaginary light and/or sound until clean. I only use this method when I am in a hurry.
- Freezer Method: Place stones in freezer overnight.
Stones damaged by sunlight (there may be more):
- Aventurine: translucent types often loose color
- Amethyst: becomes paler
- Apatite
 : pink variety fades
- Aquamarine: becomes paler
- Beryl: brown or orange types may change to pale pink
- Celestite: fades in direct sunlight
- Citrine: may change color
- Fluorite: green and purple types change color
- Rose Quartz: becomes paler
- Smokey Quartz: becomes paler
- Kunzite: becomes pale or loses color
- Sapphire
 : should be cleansed in moonlight
There are many ways that dealers treat gemstones. The savvy buyer asks lots of questions and hopefully tests the results. Here are some treatments to look for:
- Irradiation: This is the worst treatment used. Gemstones loose any therapeutic properties once they are irradiated. It is *very* common to irradiate aquamarine, topaz, emerald, and diamond, as well as other stones. Irradiation treatment brings out color and removes imperfections. Some dealers don't even know if they are selling irradiated stones. Honest ones will tell you. If you can feel energy from irradiated gemstones it will be either very scattered or dead.
- Dye: This is the most common treatment used. On clear stones, cracks often appear as darker areas of the stone. On others, sometimes there is a residue that rubs off -- or white patches. Almost all lapis and rose quartz are dyed. Amethyst and citrine are often dyed. Dyed stones are much weaker with the exception of black onyx which is dyed in normal processing.
- Coatings: Jasper is often dipped in petroleum products to bring out color and to seal it. Unfortunately, this makes it weaker. Sometimes you can tell by smell. Energetically, it feels dampened.
- Fake stones: Some dealers will try passing off fake stones instead of natural ones. There are fake stone equivalents for most gemstones on the market. Always ask what type of stone something is if you are not certain. Honest dealers will tell you. If a stone looks too perfect it may be fake, irradiated or dyed. Avoid laboratory products (also known as synthetics).
Other things to look for:
- Quality of stone. Is it good color, good clarity and desired shape?
- Quality of cut. Are there chips, dents, and imperfections in the stone? For beads, Are stones the same size and shape?
- Quality of drilling. If buying beads, how big of hole is there?
- Length of strand. If buying unstrung beads, be certain your strand is a full 16 inches.
Visiting Gem & Jewelry Shows exposes you a wide variety of gemstones. You can compare several gemstones in one viewing and also get educated by many dealers. To locate the show nearest you, go to Gemstone and Jewelry Shows.
To learn how to appraise the quality and value of diamonds, see Jewelry Mall's Diamond Buying Guide.
Gemstone Resources
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