Our pick of the best crystals and what they do: a guide

Whether manifesting, cleansing or healing, we’ve heard your call…

Cropped Hand Of Woman Holding Crystals In Store - stock photo

by Piper Huxley |
Updated on

Pretty, mysterious and utterly spellbinding, crystals are a lifeline for those of us who seek healing, power and strength through difficult times. Perfect for aligning our energy and creating equilibrium, crystals can be positioned on the body (or even held) to heal and improve our well-being. But, which are the best? Well, there are a lot of different varieties that have lots of properties, some with multiple. So, for this, we’re deep diving into the realm of minerals to find the best crystals for your practice.

If you're a beginner to crystals, it's easy to fall into the trap of buying lots of beautiful gemstones - without knowing what they're for. Even though you may feel a difference in your life, it's worth knowing what your beloved gems do - and how you can incorporate them into your daily routine. Here, you can take time to research the properties of different crystals and tailor your search to your intention. Luckily, we're here to help.

When picking your crystal, trust your intuition and pick up the one you're drawn to.

Best crystals at a glance:

Best amethyst for stress: Amethyst Geode – View on Etsy
Best rose quartz for love: Rose Quartz Wire Wrapped Necklace – View on The Psychic Tree
Best green jade for wealth: Green Jade Gemstone Necklace – View on Etsy

Now, onto the crystals. They come in many shapes and forms, tumbled or in a raw, jagged state. The crystal you're looking for may appear as jewellery. What are the best crystals to wear? We're here to answer your questions and take you on a journey. It's time to embark on a quest to find you the best crystals - grouped by intention.

Best crystals and what they do

Best Crystals for Stress

To create a calm, soothing environment, we recommend Amethyst. Aquamarine and Celestite. Amethyst, especially, has been used throughout history to help enhance our well-being, whether by reducing anxiety or perceptions of pain. If you're looking to unwind after a tricky day and require serenity, we recommend these three in your bedroom.

Best amethyst for stress

Description

If you want a large crystal to put on display, we love this amethyst geode - available in multiple

Pros

  • Amethyst geodes provide relaxation, spiritual growth and positive energy
  • Range of geode sizes
  • Free delivery

Cons

  • Overseas item

Best celestite for stress

Celestite Necklace
Price: £7.86+ (£15.77+)

www.etsy.com

Description

Choose between cable and chain for your raw, celestite necklace. It'll help you pass through rough

Pros

  • Enhances calming, communication and spiritual connection
  • Choose necklace chain colour and length

Cons

  • A little fragile

Best aquamarine for stress

Description

Elasticated to fit most wrist sizes, we love this peaceful and calming Aquamarine bracelet.

Pros

  • Courage, clarity and soothing energy
  • Elasticated to fit most wrists
  • Free delivery

Cons

  • Elastic band can break

Best Crystals for Protection

Crystals have a long history of energetic protection - for centuries, in fact. For example, Black Tourmaline is recognised as a guard against negative energy, often worn as jewellery to protect us from negative people and situations. Plus, it can ward off negativity from your home. On the other hand, Turquoise stands as a natural guard against your demons.

Best aquamarine for protection

Aquamarine Heart-Shaped Pocket Stone
Price: £11.13 (was £13.21)

www.etsy.com

Description

Keep this beauty in your purse or in a small, cloth bag to keep it secure and snug. It'll keep

Pros

  • An aquamarine heart can also aid inspiration, emotional healing, throat chakra balance
  • Comforting, calming and carry it with you

Cons

  • Overseas item

Best tourmaline for protection

Description

A favourite of ours, this Black Tourmaline ring is stunning. It'll help you deal with those

Pros

  • Promotes protection, grounding and negativity absorption
  • Available with gift box or gift pouch
  • Handmade
  • Adjustable ring

Cons

  • Stone size isn't specified

Best Crystals for Creativity

Feeling a little uninspired? Perhaps a gemstone can help get those juices flowing. Green Quartz is connected to the heart chakra, which will stimulate creativity and intuition. As for a Red Tiger's Eye, it comes with fantastic grounding properties, making it ideal to rekindle a creative mindset. Calcite is an all-rounder but will make space for creativity.

Best tigers eye for creativity

Description

Perfect for grounding and balance, this Red Tiger's Eye necklace will help you focus on our

Pros

  • Enhances motivation, confidence and resilience
  • Handmade to order

Cons

  • Popular, so can be in low stock

Best calcite for creativity

Natural Yellow Calcite Large Tower
Price: £25.58+

www.etsy.com

Description

Choose from 16cm to 24cm high, this beautifully-coloured calcite tower comes with incredible

Pros

  • For clarity, optimism and energy boosting
  • Free delivery

Cons

  • Overseas item

Best green quartz for creativity

Description

As well as keeping you creative, Green Quartz will help reduce anxiety and encourages success.

Pros

  • Green quartz promotes heart healing, growth and positivity
  • Handmade

Cons

  • Popular, so can be in low stock

Best Crystals for Love

Much like gemstones, love comes in all shapes and sizes. Whether you're keen on improving your own love life or the love you have for yourself, a gemstone may help get you on the right track. For this, we recommend either Rose Quartz, known as the stone of universal love or Rhodonite, which is a stone of compassion and balance.

Best rose quartz for love

Description

Restore trust and harmony in relationships and encourage unconditional love.

**Customer

Pros

  • For love, compassion and emotional healing
  • Range of necklace lengths

Cons

  • Chain can snap

Best rhodonite for love

Description

Nurture your space with this balancing and healing crystal that ensures self-confidence and

Pros

  • Enhances compassion, emotional healing and balance
  • Amplify, direct energy and enhance intention

Cons

  • Payment is by Paypal only

Best Crystal for Anxiety

Anxiety can get the best of us. Feeling nervous or on edge can prevent us from daring to be brilliant, or perusing opportunities. It can be a real roadblock in our lives. Anxiety, like all emotions, feeling or thoughts, carries a vibrational frequency. Luckily, crystals such as Black Obsidian and Flower Agate can encourage you to reach your full potential.

Best obsidian for anxiety

Raw Obsidian Crystal Necklace
Price: £13.17+

www.etsy.com

Description

Ward off negative energy and stay grounded with this wrapped Obsidian pendant.

**Customer

Pros

  • Raw Obsidian offers protection, grounding and transformation
  • Handmade
  • Free delivery

Cons

  • Some stone sizes are sold out

Best agate for anxiety

Flower Agate Tower
Price: £8.88+ (was £14)

www.etsy.com

Description

A relatively new-found crystal, this Agate has many healing properties, inducing calmness, harmony

Pros

  • Flower agate promotes growth, harmony and self-discovery

Cons

  • Tower size not specified, sold by weight

Best Crystals for Money

As well as love and health, crystals can offer success and prosperity in other elements of your life. If you're determined to attain some more wealth, perhaps some pyrite or jade can help. Pyrite is a potent stone with the ability to cultivate abundance and prosperity. Whereas, jade supports your business ventures and manifests your work goals.

Best pyrite for money

Golden Pyrite Crystal

Rrp: £8.99

Price: £8.54

Description

Sometimes referred to as "Fool's Gold", pyrite is best for inviting good energy and property. Keep

Pros

  • Golden Pyrite brings abundance, vitality and manifestation
  • Stress relief, calming sensation

Cons

  • Some reviews comment on being let down by the feel of the stone

Best green jade for wealth

Description

Attracting lots of opportunities, jade is a real lucky charm - something you ought to keep around.

Pros

  • Attract luck, abundance and harmony
  • Handmade
  • Free delivery

Cons

  • Overseas item

Best Crystals to Sleep With

Sleeping is a vital aspect of our day. Getting too little can have bad repercussions, throwing our energies off balance. If you've tried everything under the sun (such as a pillow spray), then why not give some crystals a go? Perfect for tucking under your pillow, we recommend Howlite and Labradorite, to ground, protect and keep you calm.

Best howlite for sleep

Description

If you struggle with an overactive mind (insomnia) before bed, this crystal will bring a sense of

Pros

  • Howlite is associated with calming, awareness and emotional expression

Cons

  • Popular, so prone to being in low stock

Best labradorite for sleep

Description

Tuck a labradorite stone under your pillow to encourage deeper and more meaningful sleep.

Pros

  • Labradorite aids transformation, intuition and protection

Cons

  • A review comments that a stone snapped in half

Best Crystal for Focus

Struggling to get in the zone? Pop a crystal by your workspace or even on your desk and take advantage of some vibrations, allowing your mind to find balance and concentrate on the task at hand. For this, we have listed Variscite and Flourite. These gemstones will support your mind in staying sharp and focusing on your strengths for success.

These are the best crystals for meditation, too - as they enhance your concentration and practice.

Best fluorite for focus

Description

Pop this fluorite tower on your work desk to keep you on track. Or, you can even use it during

Pros

  • Purple Fluorite facilitates psychic awareness, focus and spiritual connection

Cons

  • Overseas purchase

Best variscite for focus

Description

Variscite is believed to help with improving your intellect and logic. Not only this, but it

Pros

  • Variscite promotes calming, emotional clarity and inner peace
  • Choose from three sizes

Cons

  • Popular, so can be in low stock

Best Crystal for Grounding

In a fast-paced and overwhelming world like ours, it's not alien to feel stressed. Sometimes, we feel lost and all over the place - and we need to be reminded of our worth, and our purpose. So, crystals that'll ground you, and stabilise your emotions work best. We recommend Amazonite and Mookaite to connect you to the Earth - for comfort.

Best amazonite for grounding

Amazonite Crystal Palm Stone
Price: £15.99

Description

For your palm, hold this Amazonite to keep you grounded when you're on the go. Keep it in your

Pros

  • Amazonite enhances harmony, communication, intuition
  • Range of palm stones to choose from

Cons

  • Some reviews comment that their stone looks different to the product photo

Best mookaite for grounding

Mookaite Stone, Heart Shape
Price: £3.13+ (was £4.83+)

www.etsy.com

Description

Coming in attractive whirling shades of red, yellow and brown, this heart-shaped Mookaite will

Pros

  • Mookaite enhances vitality, adventure and diversity

Cons

  • Some reviews comment that the photos are a different colour to the product they received

Best Crystals for Good Luck

Working with crystals can even you great luck. Gemstones such as Green Aventurine and Citrine can serve as a reminder that luck and opportunity are always around the corner. If you're looking to manifest your deep desires, and transform your life into a prosperous one, we recommend these crystals. They'll keep you receptive to positive change.

Best aventurine for luck

Description

Keep this special little bottle safe. Known as the "luckiest stone" by many, this Aventurine will

Pros

  • Green Aventurine aids heart chakra healing, luck and emotional tranquillity
  • Thoughtful gift idea

Cons

  • Not suitable for children

Best citrine for luck

Description

Or, why not grab this clustered citrine? Place it in the home and it'll bring energy to help your

Pros

  • Citrine enhances abundance, manifestation and confidence
  • Comes with gift bag and crystal meaning card
  • Range of sizes available

Cons

  • Be aware the citrine cluster has been heat treated

FAQs

What makes crystals powerful?

To answer this age-old question, we need to delve into crystals’ deep history. You may have noticed a surge in their popularity with fad social media apps like TikTok playing host to new-age spiritualists – from crystals for manifesting to crystals for protection. Social media seems to be a good resource for budding spiritualists and Wicca. And – there is a long history of crystals being used for well-being.

Even in the UK, archaeological finds dating back 10,000 years ago show that the gemstone amber was in use for protection and well-being, specifically prosperity and health. Whereas in Egypt, stones such as quartz, emerald and lapis lazuli were utilised for medicine, as well as rituals and deep desires. Practices such as crystal healing have several positive benefits - as these can include alleviating physical, emotional and spiritual stress.

As for their power, crystals have the power to interact with our bodies. Known as vibrations, this beautiful property can unlock the potential that may have been previously shut away in our bodies – and this is done by redirecting energy flow. Invoking feelings of grounding and connection, the crystal vibrations interact with the body’s energetic frequency – and it can evoke clarity.

How to best use crystals

This comes down to personal preference. Like any spiritual practice we talk about at Spirit & Destiny, it needs to feel right for you. After all, this practice should be supporting your well-being, healing or success. Crystals may hold the key to unlocking all of your wildest potential. So, we've listed some ways you can incorporate crystals into your daily life.

Place them under your pillow while you sleep, which is ideal for health manifestation.

Incorporate them into your other practice, such as yoga or meditation - just like you would incense.

Invest in a pouch for your crystals - or keep them in your purse - to take with you.

Popping a crystal with a plant or in the garden may give you (and your space) some harmony with nature.

Wearing crystals as jewellery is a good way to keep them close - as a ring, necklace or crystal bracelet.

Rake a bath with them - either on the edge or submerged; double-check if your crystal is waterproof.

Decorate your space with a crystal or two. Be mindful of where you place them, though.

Hold them when you need a little support or reassurance.

When is the best time to cleanse or charge crystals?

When you’ve become acquainted with your new additions, you’ll need to know how best to take care of crystals. After all, cleansing and charging your stones is key to your continued success. So, we’ve written a short guide on how to spot if your crystals need cleansing or charging – and what methods are best for your chosen gemstone.

Crystals are said to absorb energy. The more often you use a stone, the more energy it absorbs. However, this can include negative energy, too. So, it’s important to make sure your crystals are cleansed. So, a good rule is to cleanse all your stones at least once a month. If an individual stone feels heavier than usual, it would be an excellent time to cleanse it.

There are many ways to cleanse or charge your crystals.

Bathing them in the moonlight on a full Moon

Burning incense or herbs around them

Soaking them in water

Purifying them with salt

Burying them in soil or sand

Where is the best place to put my crystals?

When placed in rooms in which you spend large amounts of time, your crystals and their healing vibrations will fulfil the purpose. So, it's wise to be selective about where you put your crystals. We've got some help from Living Spaces to set out our intentions for each room - and how to make the most of our gemstones.

Offices - don't have to feel dull or lifeless. No! Unleash your working-from-home set-up's full potential and inject some good vibrations for lasting rewards. Whether by yourself or around others, having a crystal to hand when you're in the zone can focus the mind and enhance creativity. It could make the ideal companion for your computer or desk lamp.

Hallways - are the first space that your guests are going to enter when they enter your home. Just like you, when you get home after a long time, you want to make sure there is a welcoming air with plenty of safe, happy and energised vibrations. Plus, your hallway will connect to other rooms in your home, so be mindful of this; on furniture is best.

Bedrooms - are all about recuperating and gathering your strength after a long day. The vibrations need to evoke calm, healing and relaxation - and can be used for health manifestations, also. After all, the bedroom may be a place that you spend a lot of your time in. So, look for soothing crystals to wake up to, around your pillows, preferably.

Bathrooms - need a little love, too. According to Living Spaces, your bathroom walls should "set a well-cleansed tone for your day." Even so, any negatives will get zapped by any cleansing crystals. For example, amethyst acts as a protective gemstone, which will serve as a beautiful pop of colour and keep the energy stress-free and protected.

Living Rooms - finally, pairs well with stones that encourage relaxation, although it's really up to you. There is "no secret to decorating with crystals", says Living Spaces - it's about setting your intentions. On an aesthetic note, some crystals can add a balance of colour, mood and energy to side tables, coffee tables and bookcases. Go with your gut.

Should crystals be kept together?

It's permittable to keep your crystals together, as long as you're looking after them. However, there are some crystals that shouldn't place together - as they could interact and mess with the energy flow. If they're raw and have rough edges, please be careful about putting them near your tumbled stones - as there could be some unsightly scratches.

The same goes for pairing conflicting crystals with one another. For example, carnelian and amethyst are not ideal together. Carnelian is a booster, promoting courage, motivation and attracting change. Whereas, amethyst helps subdue stress and protects you from overthinking. Putting them together could cancel each other out.

So, be sure to group your crystals together based on their properties. Sometimes, it can take trial and error.

What should I keep my crystals in?

For some of your beloved gemstones, it's best to avoid water, humidity, sunlight and dust particles. Certain crystals are picky and won't fare well with some of the aforementioned conditions. Make sure to do your research before you decide to display them. Sometimes it's better to keep them tucked away. You can use several methods of storage:

Cloth Pouches - will give you protection from all of these, keeping them safe and sound.

Drawers - are a good idea if you want to rotate between crystals and energy flows.

Boxes - are an alternative to a dedicated drawer, ideal for a smaller collection.

What is the best way to display crystals?

When it comes to putting your collection on show, we have some suggestions. Some of our crystals will be light-sensitive and their vitality will fade if they are exposed to the sun. Others will be happy to bask in the sunlight.

Glass Display - is best for those of us who have a larger collection, to keep away from sunlight.

Acrylic Boxes - store crystals well, despite costing a little more than an average storage box.

Glass Jars - add a mystical feel to your collection, keeping your crystal airtight like a genie in a bottle.

What crystals do I need to avoid?

Some crystals, indeed, contain toxic substances. Gemstones such as malachite and cinnabar can cause serious health issues if you're exposed to them for long enough. We'd recommend steering away from these.

Similarly, identifying crystals to avoid will depend on what your star sign is, and what your intention is. For example, a stimulating gemstone like turquoise can be less than ideal for a bedtime crystal. It can fuel insomnia in some of us.

Clear quartz amplifies other crystals, increasing energy in the bedroom - and may help you. However, this gemstone does not suit all crystals. So, be careful which crystals you place nearby as this could be overwhelming for you.

Piper Huxley is a Homes, Garden and Wellness Product Writer for Spirit & Destiny, an all-rounder: from health to spirituality. When not at her desk, she’s practising yoga or in deep reflection.

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