People have been picking up stones and keeping them for about as long as there have been people. Long before anyone had a word for geology, and long before anyone was selling them.
Here are five crystals worth knowing. What they have traditionally meant and some fun facts
Amethyst
Traditionally reached for around clarity and calm. The name is Greek, amethystos, which means roughly "not drunken". They made drinking cups out of it because they believed it kept a clear head through a long night. Two and a half thousand years later people still pick up amethyst for much the same idea, which is a fairly good run for any belief.
It is the one most people start with, and it's easy to see why in my opinion. Amethyst can have such beautiful variance in colour.
Rose quartz
Traditionally associated with love, warmth and softness, and not only the romantic kind. One of the most underrated values is it's deep connection with self-actualisation and self-love.
This can be the crystal you tend to reach out for when things have been a bit much. It is also the one most often bought as a gift, maybe only behind amethyst.
Clear quartz
The clear one. It has been called the all purpose stone for centuries, and it is traditionally used for focus and holding an intention. One of it's greatest features is it's ability to amplify the qualities of fellow crystals around it.
If you are not sure where to start, this is the least wrong answer available. Depending on its grade it can be one of the most affordable of the five.
Black obsidian
Traditionally connected with grounding and seeing things plainly. That association is not coincidental. Obsidian was a mirror long before it was an ornament.
Obsidian is technically not a crystal. It is a glass, so you definitely don't need a diamond pickaxe to dig it up.
Fluorite
Traditionally reached for around focus and getting unstuck. The name comes from the Latin fluere, to flow, because it was originally used to make metals run in a furnace.
These crystals have some of the most dynamic colour variance. They can be green all the way to purple, blue, yellow and mixed
It is also the prettiest of the five, in my opinion with one of the most diverse colour ranges. These pieces interact with light very dynamically, it can show some special fluorescence when being hit with direct sunlight.
Does colour do most of the work?
Look across enough traditions and the same pattern keeps appearing. Green sits with growth, blue is associated with calm, and Red is typically paired with urgency and vitality.
You do not have to believe any of this. The beauty of crystals is that you can put any meaning into the crystals you wish to collect.
So what crystal do I choose?
Go by what you are drawn to.
Every tradition that has ever dealt with this agrees on that single point while disagreeing on everything else. Being pulled toward a particular stone is information worth acting on.
Pick one up. See whether you keep picking it up. That is how most people with a shelf full of the stuff got started.
Starting from a feeling instead of a name
Which is why we sorted the shop the way we did.
Most crystal shops expect you to arrive already knowing what you want, which is a strange thing to ask of someone brand new. Shop by Vibe works from the other end. You start with what drew you in, calm or focus or love or creativity, and work back to the stones traditionally associated with it.
We consider our shop a easy way-in. Built on the same instinct people have been following for many years, which is that you usually know what you are after before you know what it is called.
And if you would rather hold something before deciding, that is the better way anyway. We are out at markets around Adelaide. Join our mailing list and we will let you know where we are next.