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Crystal care guide

Water, sunlight, salt, smoke or moonlight: not every method suits every stone. Choose yours to see, method by method, what is safe, what needs care and what damages it, with the mineralogical reason.

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52 stones

  • Safe no known risk to the stone
  • Take care possible with care (brief, gentle, in the shade…)
  • Avoid damages the stone: do not do it

Choose a stone to see its care sheet, or browse the five methods below.

The five methods, step by step

  1. Water

    Rinse for a few seconds in lukewarm water, with a little mild soap if needed, then dry straight away with a soft cloth. No long soaking, no very hot water, and never ultrasonic or steam cleaners for fragile stones.

  2. Sunlight

    Prefer the gentle morning light and avoid the hottest hours: heat and sudden temperature changes can crack some stones, and several fade in strong light.

  3. Salt

    Dry salt scratches soft stones and attacks porous or moisture-sensitive ones. Gentle method: place the stone in a glass dish set on the salt, with no direct contact. This advice is deduced, as no mineralogical source covers it.

  4. Smoke

    Pass the stone through incense or sage smoke for a few seconds, window open, away from the flame. No source reports any risk to the stone.

    Safe for every stone in our database.

  5. Moonlight

    Leave the stone by a window or outside under cover for a night, a full moon according to tradition. Bring it in before the dew if it dislikes water.

    Safe for every stone in our database.

  6. In every case

    • Store each stone separately: a harder stone scratches a softer one.
    • Put on perfume, cream and hairspray before your jewellery, and take it off for sport or housework.
    • Never sand or break a stone: some dusts are irritating or toxic.
    • Never make an elixir (a stone soaked in drinking water) with a stone that carries a warning.

Links to birth days, intentions and planets are traditional or commercial beliefs, not established facts. Crystals are not a substitute for medical advice.

Crystal care guide

How it works

  1. Choose a stone by its Thai, English or trade name (นิล, ไหมทอง, มุกดาหาร…). The sheet shows the five most common methods, each with a level: safe, take care or avoid, and the reason.

  2. Water and sunlight advice comes first from the care sheets of GIA, the reference gemmological laboratory, then from geology.com, Wikipedia and museum conservation notes for minerals GIA does not cover. The source is given in each reason.

  3. No mineralogical source covers salt cleansing. That advice is deduced from each stone's hardness, porosity and solubility, and the tool marks it “deduced, unverified”. It flags the few points that rely only on sellers or forums in the same way.

  4. Smoke and moonlight carry no physical risk to the stone, so they are shown as safe for all. They are traditional practices and beliefs; the tool promises no effect from them.

  5. The warnings (lead in amazonite, copper in malachite, fibres in tiger's eye, acid from pyrite…) mainly concern dust and drinking water. A polished stone worn normally has no known danger; if you have any doubt about your health, ask a doctor.

These tools give general information. They do not replace the advice of a doctor or a qualified professional.

Go furtherCrystal healing

Frequently asked questions

Can every stone go in water?
No. Selenite (gypsum, which dissolves) and pyrite (which oxidises in moisture) should never go in water. Amazonite, lapis lazuli, malachite, turquoise, fluorite, howlite, rhodochrosite and pearl only tolerate a quick rinse, dried immediately.
Which stones should stay out of the sun?
Amethyst, citrine, smoky quartz, fluorite and kunzite can fade in strong light; amber darkens, opal can craze as it dries out, and heated zircon can change colour. Pearl dislikes heat, which dehydrates the nacre (GIA).
Does salt damage stones?
It can scratch soft stones and attack porous or moisture-sensitive ones: obsidian, moonstone, labradorite, turquoise, malachite, opal, pearl, emerald and about fifteen others. With no dedicated source, this advice is deduced. Prefer a dish set on the salt, with no contact.
How often should I cleanse my crystals?
There is no established rule: cleansing belongs to tradition. In practical terms, clean a stone when it is dirty or after contact with sweat, cream or perfume, using the gentlest method it tolerates.
Are smoke and moonlight safe?
Yes for the stone: incense or sage smoke and moonlight do not damage it. Air the room while smudging, keep the stone away from the flame, and bring water-sensitive stones in before the dew.

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