7 Essential Crystals for Beginners

Published August 23, 2018
Woman holding handful of gemstones

Using healing crystals is an easy way to get started with energy healing. Each crystal combines an array of properties (such as color, lattice structure, shape, and opacity) that cause them to vibrate at certain frequencies. This vibration intermingles with the human energy field and raises its vibration to facilitate emotional, mental, spiritual, or physical healing.

Smoky Quartz

Smoky quartz is a member of the quartz family. It ranges in color from light gray to deep brown or nearly black, and it is an easy crystal to find and obtain in a crystal shop. You can buy smoky quartz rough or tumbled, in points, as polished rocks, in chips or beads, or as a cluster of crystals.

  • Smoky quartz is a first chakra crystal that balances the first, or root, chakra.
  • It also provides grounding energy, which is excellent if you are feeling scattered or spend more time in your head than in your body.
  • Wearing smoky quartz or meditating with it can help resolve issues surrounding safety and security, such as insecurity, abandonment, or phobias.
  • Smoky quartz transmutes negative energy to positive. Try sprinkling smoky quartz chips around the perimeter of your property to ensure the energy entering your home is always positive.
  • Smoky quartz wards off negativity. If you work near someone who is negative, place a piece of smoky quartz between you and that person to help ward off that negativity.
Smoky Crystal Quartz

Carnelian

Carnelian is an orange or orange-red crystal. It is an agate, which is a form of microcrystalline quartz. It is a common mineral that is affordable and easy to find in crystal shops and metaphysical stores. You can find carnelian rough or polished, and it can also be cut into beads or shaped.

  • Carnelian balances the second, or sacral, chakra.
  • Wearing or carrying carnelian can help people resolve issues of integrity, lack of boundaries, or personal identity.
  • Carnelian also promotes creativity as the second chakra is where creativity arises.
  • Carnelian can also help resolve prosperity issues, which are related to the sacral chakra.
  • Women with hormonal or reproductive issues can also benefit from wearing or carrying carnelian.
Carnelian crystal in orange

Citrine

Citrine is another form of quartz. The mineral occurs naturally in abundance, and you can also find heat treated citrine created by super heating smoky quartz or amethyst until it turns yellow. Both have similar healing properties, but you can generally tell the difference with the color. Heat treated citrine is vivid yellow or orange-ish yellow while natural citrine tends to be a pale, clear yellow. Citrine comes in a variety of forms including clusters, points, tumbled and polished stones, rough stones, and chips and beads. It also naturally grows with amethyst in a gemstone called ametrine.

  • Citrine balances the third, or solar plexus, chakra.
  • Citrine is considered a stone of prosperity. Keep some in a pocketbook, a cash drawer, or in the prosperity sector of your home or office to boost your abundance.
  • Wearing citrine can help boost your self-esteem and strengthen your sense of self-worth.
  • Citrine can also help boost career success. Keep a piece at your desk at work or incorporate it into jewelry you wear to the office.
  • With its sunny, yellow color, citrine can also increase happiness. Try wearing a citrine ring you can look at when you need a mood pick-me-up.
Citrine quartz pebble

Rose Quartz

Beautiful, affordable, and abundant, this crystal is yet another variety of quartz. It ranges in color from light pink to a deep pink that is nearly lavender, and it is strongly associated with the energy of love. Like other quartz crystals, you can buy it in various forms including carved, polished, points, beads, and chips.

  • Rose quartz can balance the fourth, or heart, chakra.
  • Place it in the love sector of your home to help boost love within your life.
  • Meditate with rose quartz to facilitate forgiveness, compassion, kindness, and unconditional love.
  • You can also wear rose quartz to improve self-love. A long pendant with the rose quartz near your heart is ideal.
  • If you struggle with anger or resentment in the workplace, keep rose quartz in a desk drawer to help you move forward in a positive and productive manner.
Heart Shaped Pink Rose Quartz

Chalcedony

Chalcedony is the technical term for a variety of microcrystalline quartz agates (including carnelian), but in healing crystal terminology, it refers to a specific form of light blue microcrystalline quartz. It has a soothing blue color and is slightly transparent. You can find it in rough or polished stones, as well as shaped, cut into beads, or as chips.

  • Chalcedony balances the fifth, or throat, chakra.
  • Wearing a chalcedony necklace with a chain that keeps it about throat height can facilitate speaking your truth and standing up for what you believe in.
  • Chalcedony is also a stone that helps give voice to your creative ideas. People in creative professions can benefit from wearing chalcedony earrings or necklaces or keeping chalcedony where they do their creative work.
  • Chalcedony is a calming stone. If you are prone to stress or worry, wearing a chalcedony bracelet may help soothe your nerves.
  • Wearing or carrying chalcedony can also help boost learning and retention, so it's a great stone for students.
Blue Chalcedony Crystal

Amethyst

Amethyst is a popular form of quartz that has a lovely purple or violet color. It is affordable, abundant, and easy to find. Like other types of quartz, you can find it in an array of forms including clusters, points, polished pieces, rough pieces, beads, and chips.

  • Amethyst balances the energy of the sixth, or third eye, chakra.
  • It is a stone of concentration that can also help you with reasoning and intellectual pursuits.
  • Amethyst is often called the sober stone. Wearing or carrying it can help people dealing with addiction.
  • Place a piece of amethyst near your bedside or under the head of your bed to fight insomnia, promote restful sleep, and help ward off nightmares.
  • Amethyst can also help you tap into your intuition. Wearing earrings or a necklace will stimulate your third eye and can help strengthen psychic ability.
Purple Amethyst Crystal

Clear Quartz

Clear quartz comes in a variety of forms including clusters, points, tumbled and polished stones, rough stones, druzy, beads, and chips. It is one of the most abundant minerals on the planet, and it is easy to find and affordable. It ranges from milky white to brilliantly clear.

  • Clear quartz balances the seventh, or crown, chakra.
  • It can amplify the vibration of any crystal, so pairing it with other crystals strengthens them.
  • Clear quartz is the universal healer. If you have no other crystals, you can program quartz with your healing intention and it will fit the bill.
  • You can direct the energy of other crystals using clear quartz points. Place the points with the flat end facing the crystal you want to direct and the point in the direction where you want to send it. To diffuse the energy throughout a space, surround it with a circle of clear quartz points.
  • Clear quartz can facilitate the balance of all the chakras. Place a clear quartz point on each chakra, or place one at the crown and one at the root chakra and allow the energy to flow between the two pieces.
Clear Quartz Crystal

An Abundance of Crystals

While these seven crystals are great for beginners, there's a whole world of healing crystals to explore. Whether your seeking luck, love, prosperity, or some other form of healing, there's a crystal that can help you reach that vibration.

7 Essential Crystals for Beginners