#Crystals101 – How to Identify Your Crystals

You found your first piece of stone/crystal that you fell in love with.  Just had to pick it up or buy it.  Now what do you do with it?  How do you identify it?  That’s the question of the year.  😂🤣

When I first started on my crystal journey, I’d heard of quartz and agates but not much else.  My mind was blown when I learned there are so many forms of crystals.  And each type has numerous variations.  It can be mind-numbing and overwhelming, to say the least.  So the first thing you need is a rock indentation app to download to your phone or tablet. 

The one I use is Rock Identifier: Stone ID.  I didn’t realize there was a free version, so I bought it.  I think the paid one lets you store and catalogue your rocks/crystals.  It didn’t cost very much so it was worth it.  The rock identification  apps have, from what I can tell, a 97% accuracy rate.  It will take the picture of your rock and compare it against three possibilities.  It will give you quite a bit of detail about the three alternatives, which is cool.  Still, if you have a crystal with a similar makeup to another rock, it can be a challenge.  Even people who deal with rocks/crystals can still get confused.

Point in fact, geologists identified and named a crystal Rainbow Moonstone, but it actually has the composition of a Labradorite and not a Moonstone.  Why did they do that?  Who knows, but it’s confusing enough for us novice rock hounds without them mudding the waters. 

Below, I will be showing you the four most common minerals you’ll hear about.  The crystals in thee videos are from my own collection. I am by no means an expert and still learning, but I hope it helps you with your journey. 

AGATE

Agates are the most common rock/crystal you’ll find.  They have a tendency to merge, (I call it marry), with other crystal formations.  They can be found all over the world and usually along river/stream  or the banks of a lake.  When the materials surrounding the agate geode gets washed away, the agate comes free and then gets pushed down the stream or washed up on the banks.  Very similar to how gold is found.  However, gold is heavier so ends up on the bottom. Hence, panning for gold during the gold rush.

The common types of Agate are Flower and Moss Agates.  Though there are Blue and Red Agates as well.  And, as I said, they marry with so many other types of minerals, so you can see it with Jasper and Amethyst, to name a few. 

QUARTZ

Quartz is another very commonly known crystal and I think most people have heard of Rose Quartz.  I know I had.  I also found out that it’s a very prized mineral in China.  You can get bathtubs made from Rose Quartz.  Wow.  Can’t even imagine how much that would cost. 

Out of the Quartz family, Clear and Citrine are the two most powerful crystals in the world.  I found out, while doing this blog, that Amethyst is also in the quartz family.  We learn something new everyday.  You can sometimes find veins of Quartz in other crystals.

There is also the Garden Quartz, which I forgot to video.  I LOVE this crystal and it’s only mined in one area in the world, making it expensive and in hot demand. 

FLUORITE

Before I started collecting crystals, I’d never heard of Fluorite before.  Maybe you have, but it’s very common, and in big demand, in the crystal community.  Here, again, you have many different variations of Fluorite – Purple, Green, Yellow, Rainbow, Watermelon, Silkie, and the most expensive, Blue.  And Fluorite ca be found in other minerals, but a quality piece of Fluorite will only be itself. 

JASPER

Here, again, Jasper is a crystal I’d never heard about but very much loved.  You have your Red Jasper, Polychrome, Bloodstone, and Ocean Jasper.  And Jasper can have Agate interspersed in it making it hard to identify sometimes.  Pink Amethyst with Agate & Ocean Jasper with Agate can look so alike.  Yikes.  However, Ocean Jasper is the most sought after, with a trademarked name  and only found at one site.  And Ocean jasper can come in so many flavors, white, pink, yellow, red all swirled together.  The colors are amazing and what draws crystal lovers to them for decoration.

That’s it for this post.  As I said, I’m not an expert and am just learning as I go.  Next time I will go over the lesser known, but just as beautiful, crystals.  Let me know what’s your favorite crystal and if you want me to address any questions you may have.  Thanks for reading.   😍😍