no no minerals

Be aware of any minerals that have been dyed, coated in metal, or heat treated to enhance or change the color. Let’s begin with minerals that have been dyed. You can find agate that has been dyed bright blue, pink, or purple. You can generally tell when something has been dyed because the color is extreme and looks synthetic, like it came out of a kids paint tube. Minerals do come in so many incredible and unbelievable colors that you might be fooled into thinking it is natural. It’s not. 

There is also a line of minerals that have an iridescent rainbow sheen on their surface, known as Aura Quartz or Rainbow Quartz. This is not a natural effect but one that is man made and involves the mineral being coated by a metal vapor in a special vacuum chamber. Personally, I find these minerals more severe in their energy, having lost the deeper more gentle resonance of their vibration, so I stay away from them. 

Finally, a handful of minerals are heat treated to bring out or change their color. The most common is heat treating amethyst to change its purple color to the golden yellow of citrine. Most of the citrine on the market, and maybe in your home, isn’t citrine at all — it’s heat treated amethyst. You can usually spot the difference because the heat treated amethyst will still have a little purple somewhere in it, or the golden yellow color will be very dramatic, dark and intense (especially at the tip), leaving the base of the crystal white (not clear). Natural citrine is more of a smokey yellow, transparent, and the color is more evenly distributed throughout the point. It’s also usually a bit more expensive, and hard to find. 

You want to stay away from these dyed or heat treated minerals for a few reasons. The first is that all of these processes are altering the vibration of the mineral, and minerals work on a vibrational level. So, right off the bat you are getting something at a lower vibration, and if you are someone who is seriously invested in learning to work with minerals these won’t be of much use to you. Personally, I don’t support the practice of dying or heat treating minerals, so I tend to stay away from anything on this list. And lastly, you should know what you are getting when you purchase minerals to work with. Citrine is a good example of this, since it is so frequently used for manifestation work. Know that a mineral you might be using to support a specific intention isn’t what you think it is! These are all things to be aware of as you work with minerals. 

Ultimately, minerals are gifts from nature to help you attune your body and life to their highest potential. Like anything else we use in our lives for healing, we want and value the very best. If you are truly wanting to learn how to work with minerals, then sourcing the purest minerals with the highest integrity, is important. This doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money. In fact, knowing what to stay away from and where to look for things can actually save you money. One way to do this is to find a shop when you are traveling that might have locally mined specimens. The American Southwest is great for this, and even Arkansas (along with Brazil) has the best quartz on earth. Surprising, right? These types of discoveries are ones that will feel more fulfilling and connect you more authentically to the minerals you acquire. If you find a collector or a miner you like, form a relationship with them. I have a few people who I have met over the years and their minerals feel so good. There is a big difference between their minerals and those I see in crystal shops. That is why I return again and again to them. Local shops, down to earth miners, and gem shows put on by rock and mineral clubs are a win win win for everyone. Don’t be afraid to ask questions — you’ll learn so much! And most importantly, use your intuition. Sometimes you’ll pick something up and it won’t feel right. Or you might walk into a shop with minerals and it won’t feel good. Listen to those feelings. This is the voice you are starting to develop and you can use it while sourcing and choosing minerals to work with.