We are in the midst of a crystal boom, there is no hiding from that. It has leached into almost every single shop now from Shien to Asda. The problem is, the new folks coming to the market and buying up crystals because they look pretty without doing their research could end up getting themselves into a bit of bother. Did you know that there are certain raw crystal forms that are dangerous to be handled in their raw form? Now I am not here to scare you and to get you to start worrying about your crystal collection, but there are certain crystal materials that do have certain toxic substances in which can be harmful when in their raw form, when in dust, or when ingested- I’m not saying you are going around licking crystals, but you never know!
The basic crystals that will always be in the safe families are the following;
clear quartz
amethyst
rose quartz
citrine
aventurine
agates
jaspers
When you move away from these crystals you can start to find some other materials in crystals that provide glint, shine, aura, and other flashy effects under the surface of the crystal. However, over time, geology itself has changed the properties of some of these crystals, which is called pseudo-morphing. For example. The amazing glistening shine you would notice in tigers eye that is called chatoyancy, the French name for cats-eyes, was originally formed by asbestos fibers, but fear not tigers eye fans! Over time geology has changed this with the removal of asbestos to be replaced by silica (quartz) and this also happens with petrified wood too. Is it not amazing what nature can do? Tigers eye jewellery and raw tigers eye is safe for this reason, as is petrified wood, however many places, especially those in China will sell Tigers eye with a resin coating to make sure that it is commercially safe, and this is one of the many reasons with EU and Eastern tigers eye crystals can differ so much in looks.
This is a list taken from The Hibiscus Moon Crystal Acadamy which has many guides about working with toxic crystals and further reading and also videos on the subject as well as a membership program should you be interested.
- Bixbite
- Emerald
- Aquamarine
- Goshenite
- Heliodor
- Morganite
Radioactivity Concerns
Radioactive Gems. You may have a valid concern if you own artificially irradiated crystals, gems or stones. Try to steer clear of the following:
- deeply pigmented topaz
- artificially dark (almost black) smokey quartz
- very deep pink or red tourmaline
- colored diamonds
- deeply colored kunzite
- some cultured pearls
- bismuth
If you do have any of these crystals in their raw form, it is ok, you need not panic, they are perfect display items. We would just suggest that when you handle them, please remember to wash your hands after use and if you have any questions, remember you can always pop a question in the comments here or to our discord and ask questions there where we will be happy to help.
“I’m waking up to ash and dust
I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust
I’m breathing in the chemical”
Radioactive – Imagine Dragons
Vix