“Help! I don't know what type of crystal I have.”
I can’t count the number of times that I get DM‘s on Instagram from people saying that they were gifted a crystal or purchased a crystal and don’t know how to identify that crystal. Hashtag ‘How to Identify My Crystal’? When I first started my crystal metaphysical shop, I would get these types of DM‘s and eagerly tell people to send me pictures or videos of the crystal. I would help them identify the crystal. I imagine that they DM other crystal shops with the same questions about crystal identification.
Most often, I am asked to identify some type of black tumbled crystal. I think, “This could be Tumbled Black Obsidian or it could be tumbled black onyx - amongst many other types of tumbled black crystals. Some crystals are easy to identify like Rose Quartz. Some crystals have even us self-proclaimed crystal experts scratching our heads.
You may find an array of online crystals identification databases that encourage you to take a picture of your crystal and upload it so that the system can attempt to identify the crystal for you. I have used some of these online crystal identifier systems for crystals that I could already identify. Of course, I only sought to test its accuracy. Most of the time, the database misidentified the crystal and offered to sell me a similar-looking crystal. *Stares in astonishment.* I assume that these databases scan hundreds of thousands of images online and attempt to find an image of a crystal that is similar to the one uploaded. Since some stones have a significant resemblance, this may complicate the process of accurately identifying a crystal.
So that brings us to how to identify that crystal that’s sitting on your dresser.
In the metaphysical realm, we use crystals for their healing properties. The color of the crystal corresponds with that crystal's healing power. Also, the color of a crystal corresponds with our chakras. Chakras are energy centers throughout our bodies that connect our physical bodies with our ethereal bodies.
FIRST, identify the color of your crystal or the color that it closely resembles. Use the crystal identification guide below to help you identify your crystal's healing properties.
Black or Gray Crystals, (i.e. Raw Black Tourmaline) resonate with the Root Chakra. These crystals offer security, protection, grounding. They also force us to come face to face with our shadow self for healing.
Brown Crystals resonate with the lower chakras (Sacral and Root Chakras). They promote grounding and connect us with nature and the earth.
Red Crystals, like Red Jasper, also balance and heal the Root Chakra. Red crystals are often used for grounding. Their fiery color also gives us a boost of motivation, courage, stamina, vitality, and energy.
Orange Crystals balance the Sacral Chakra, which is our energy center for sexuality, issues related to our sexual organs, anxieties, and our egos. See Orange Calcite.
Yellow Crystals heal the Solar Plexus Chakra. They help us with willpower, self-worth, and self-esteem. See Yellow Aventurine.
Green Crystals, like Tumbled Malachite, help to heal the Heart Chakra. They help us with issues related to love, wealth, abundance, forgiveness, rebirth, and transformation.
Pink Crystals also resonate with the Heart Chakra. Rose Quartz is a common Heart Chakra, pink crystal. They help us with issues related to love, forgiveness, and compassion.
Blue or Turquoise Crystals help us to heal our Throat Chakras. These crystals help with issues related to communication, calmness, listening, self-expression, and truth. See Raw Blue Apatite.
Indigo or Purple Crystals, like the ever-so-popular Amethyst, help to balance and heal issues related to the third eye and crown chakras. They help with intuition, spiritual growth, reason, overall healing, migraines, and our connection with our higher self.
Clear or White Crystals also heal our Third Eye and Crown Chakras. They relate to purity, our connection with the divine, wholeness, peace, and overall healing. These types of crystals may even be master healers (see Clear Quartz) because they help us to work through any issue and heal all of our chakras.
If you are unable to identify your crystal, remember that the ultimate purpose of the crystal is its healing power. Use the crystal based on his color identification and the corresponding healing properties. Set your intention for the crystal and be assured that your crystal has significant and powerful healing properties...even without a name :)