Crystal care, cleansing and jewellery routines. If you are new, begin with the guide, then grab the free printable checklist.
A practical, no-lab guide to telling real crystals from glass, plastic and dyed imitations: seven simple checks you can do at home, what "treated" really means, and links to detailed guides for specific stones.
A factual guide to fluorite: the calcium fluoride behind the word fluorescence, its purple-green-rainbow colours and English Blue John, why it is delicate, and how to look after it.
A factual guide to smoky quartz: what gives it its smoky colour, how to spot natural from artificially irradiated stones, the traditional names Cairngorm and morion, and how to care for it.
A factual guide to aquamarine: the blue beryl behind the sea-coloured stone, how to tell it from blue topaz and glass, the truth about heat treatment, and how to care for it.
A factual guide to labradorite: the grey feldspar that flashes blue, green and gold, what actually causes the labradorescence, how spectrolite and rainbow moonstone fit in, and how to care for it.
A factual guide to sodalite: its royal-blue colour and white veining, the easy test that tells it from lapis lazuli, the colour-changing variety hackmanite, and how to care for this softer stone.
A factual guide to moldavite, the rare green impact glass from the Czech Republic, and the most counterfeited stone on the market: how it formed, how to tell genuine from fake green glass, and how to buy and care for it.
A clear, honest guide to malachite: the banded green copper stone, whether it is toxic, how to tell real from fake and reconstituted pieces, and how to care for this soft, water-sensitive stone.
A factual guide to amazonite: the blue-green microcline feldspar with natural white albite streaks, what gives it its colour, how to tell it from aventurine and turquoise, and how to care for it.
A factual guide to howlite: the soft white stone with grey veining that is the most common dyed imitation of turquoise, how to spot dyed pieces, why it only comes in white naturally, and how to care for it.
A factual guide to hematite: its metallic shine and surprising weight, the simple red streak test that identifies it, why strongly magnetic "hematite" is man-made, and how to care for it.
Can you wear silver and gold together? Absolutely. How to mix metals on purpose - bridge pieces, neutral stones, balanced layering and one tip that stops it looking accidental.
