The holidays are here, and if you’re thinking about picking up some crystals for your friends or loved ones, here are some guidelines that can help. As a tarot reader and healer who works in a crystal shop, I encounter a lot of people who want to purchase crystals for other people but often don’t know where to begin.

Unless your friend or loved one has said exactly what type of stone they want and you find it in the right size and at the right price, this can be tricky. First off, I do recommend visiting an actual store (if there is one or more near you) because then you get a sense of size, weight, coloring, etc. While you can find a lot of stones online, unless it’s a vendor you know and trust, you can’t always be 100% certain about what you’re purchasing.

When you're looking for crystals, please keep in mind that while crystals are meant to help with physical, mental, or emotional issues, they do not take the place of visiting an actual physician or specialist. I do not believe crystals take the place of visiting an actual doctor, and while they can be used in conjunction with medicine and treatment, they should not take its place.

When you do walk into a crystal shop, here are some things to consider.

Go By Your Own Sight

I always recommend taking a look at the inventory and seeing which stones jump out at you or you find yourself constantly looking at. Most stores include descriptions of the stone’s attributes, so you can get a sense of what it does. See if this resonates with the person you’re making the purchase for—would it help them with a conflict or issue they’re going through?

Sometimes the descriptions can be spot on, but you might also be attracted to something that would help you. It’s helpful to be discerning in these situations and see what would resonate with the other person. At the same time, you might not want to get them a stone they would reject.

For example, if you buy someone Botswana Agate because it has a calming effect and you think this person is tightly wound and needs to f—ing relax, you might want to consider how you frame it when giving them that stone. One scenario in this case would be to mention that if they put it under their pillow it can help them sleep better. And if you’re having trouble with that, you can always talk to the salesperson at the store. They can either help you (because they often know about other attributes of the stones they’re selling) or can recommend another stone in its place.

Size & Shape

Stones naturally come in raw form, or the form they’re in when they’re mined. Tumbled stones are raw pieces that have been worked over in a machine that smooths their rough edges to make them polished. Usually deciding between the two is a matter of personal taste, although some stones are less commonly found in tumbled form.

To get the desired result of the crystal, they can be placed anywhere. But some people prefer not to carry individual stones in their pockets or sleep with them under their pillows because they’re concerned that they might forget the stones are there and eventually lose them.

In that case, some people opt for jewelry, such as necklaces, bracelets, rings, or earrings. The price point in these cases can sometimes be higher than for an individual stone, but it varies depending on the original distributor. When you’re buying these as a gift for someone else, it helps to know what type of jewelry they like to wear and bring that into consideration.

If You’re a Fan of Crystals

I don’t always recommend buying what works for you because everyone’s energy is so different. For example, you might love working with Malachite, but another person might find its energy too intense.

Going by Health

If the person you’re buying for is going through a specific health issue, you can always find crystals that can provide some assistance.

For example, if someone is trying to get pregnant, you could get them Moonstone, which is good for pregnancy and relates to feminine issues, or Carnelian, which can fire up the Sacral Chakra, where babies are made. Or say you have a friend with inflamed intestines—something such as Howlite or Stilbite can calm and soothe the area.

One way you can cut down on time is to do some research online and see what crystals might help with particular issues and then put together a list, call your local store(s), and seeing if they have those stones in stock. If not, you can always ask if they have recommendations for similar stones.

Going by Chakras

When it comes to health or wellness, you can also go by chakras. Chakras are energetic centers that go through the body from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Each chakra correlates to that region of the body, and if someone you know has been having emotional or physical issues in that area, sometimes having crystals that related to that chakra can be helpful. Again, these can’t replace medicine, but if the person using it puts their intention into the crystal, it has the potential to act as a booster.

With these, your friend or loved one can wear the stone near the relevant chakra or meditate or rest with the stone on the corresponding area of the body. The colors of most stones correlate to the same chakras, although with some stones you may need to double check. But here’s a good general rule of thumb:

Root Chakra—base of spine—red, black

Sacral Chakra—just below belly button—orange

Solar Plexus Chakra—stomach, above belly button—yellow

Heart Chakra—chest & torso—green, pink

Throat Chakra—throat & mouth—light blue

Third Eye Chakra—brow & eyes—dark blue

Crown Chakra—top of head & brain—white, purple

Of course, you don’t have to follow this to the letter. If your friend is having headaches but Black Onyx is calling your name, go where you’re being guided.

Birthstone or Astrological Sign

Sometimes people will go by the crystals that correlate to the month of someone’s birth or their astrological sign. These can work, although if this person already collects crystals, they might have some of these stones already. For example, one of the stones for my sign is Tiger’s Eye, and I have about five pieces of various shapes and sizes in my crystal collection.

Some birthstones are also rare or expensive, such as sapphires and diamonds, although one variation that’s a little more affordable is a Herkimer Diamond. You can often find Emerald in crystals shops in its raw form, and the price point is usually pretty affordable. The stone doesn’t look bright green and shiny, but it’s a great healing stone and might be a delightful surprise for the person.

Suggestions of Crystal Gifts

Here are some of my suggestions for overall crystal gifts. If you don’t want to read all the way through these, I suggest scrolling and seeing which words pop out and grab your attention, and then reading those descriptions.

Selenite

This is one of my favorite stones. It’s white and comes in both raw and tumbled form, and in various shapes. It clears energy, amplifies the other crystals around it, and brings in love. It’s a stone you can’t really have too much of because it can be placed inside rooms, under pillows, or can be used to help clean other crystals. It can also be protective and protect from toxic energy, whether that’s at home, at work, or out and about.

Rose Quartz

I have a hard time plugging this one because it’s so common and so pervasive. Although this is for good reason: rose quartz has a subtle energy that can help heal emotional wounds and bring a calming peace. It’s a light pink color and also comes in various shapes, either raw or tumbled.

Black Tourmaline

Black Tourmaline typically only comes raw, and it’s a black crystal, which relates to the root chakra and feelings of security and safety. It absorbs negative energy, so it’s great to hold to your body and release into. You can also place it under a pillow to absorb negative thoughts or energy during sleep, and protects the wearer from other people’s negative energy, making it protective. This is a great stone to get for someone who works in customer service or interacts with a lot of people (or toxic energy) on a regular basis. It’s not always the prettiest stone, but it doesn’t mess around.

Howlite

This stone is naturally white, although it is often dyed blue and labeled either blue howlite or turquoise howlite—or it’s branded falsely as turquoise. It’s another calming stone that can help someone relax or sleep well. It correlates to the crown chakra, so it’s a great one to put under a pillow.

Healer’s Gold

I recommend this for your friend who is a healer, masseuse, therapist, counselor, reader, what have you. Healer’s Gold is great for anyone who spends the majority of their time helping others because it absorbs the energy of others and helps them recharge their batteries. I think this one is a safe bet, even if you suspect that your friend might already have it.

Aventurine

This stone comes in many colors, but mainly green. It’s a stone of luck and good fortune, which pretty much anyone will want. It usually comes tumbled, and if you’re at a store that has a variety of colors, you can go by the person’s favorite color or the attributes that stand out to the most.

Citrine

This stone usually comes in both raw and tumbled form, and is white and yellow. It brings in Sun energy, so one way to translate that is it brings light and warmth into the person’s life. It’s also a stone for success and attracting money, and it can be placed inside a wallet to help attract money. It’s a self cleaning stone, so it doesn’t have to be cleansed, but it can be placed in the sun, since it shares a similar energy.

Orgonite

Made of crystal pieces, copper, and resin, this is man made and has a lot of great properties. It can block EMF (Electronic & Magnetic Fields) and help ward off toxins. It absorbs and transmutes negative energy, so it can be placed anywhere it’s most needed. Since it’s made in resin, you can find it in a variety of shapes, but most common is as a pyramid. The crystals inside can vary from Amethyst to Rose Quartz to Lapis Lazuli to just about anything else.

Amethyst

This one is another staple, usually available in tumbled or raw form, and is meant for overall healing and divination. It can be placed anywhere on the body, but it does correlate to the Crown Chakra on the top of the head. It’s purple, and sometimes you can find Chevron Amethyst, which has Snow Quartz inside of it.

A Note About Moldavite

Moldavite is a green crystal that was formed from the impact of meteorite that crashed into Southern Germany about 15 million years ago. While other Earth-based crystals carry the Earth’s energy, Moldavite and other forms of Tektite posses a faster frequency. This means that their energy feels much faster than the speed of our planet or any of the crystals we’ve mined from this planet.

The energy of these crystals moves faster than the speed of Earth. While you may not feel a difference with other crystals, with Moldavite you tend to notice.

This can actually work well for a lot of Earth signs or people who have a great deal of Earth energy in their astrological chart because it can help pickup their pace. But this can be too much energy for the other elements, and make them feel jittery and sometimes angry.

Unless the person you’re buying for LOVES Moldavite and can’t get their hands on enough of it or is an Earth sign who has been vocal about wanting to move stuff forward in their life, I’d think twice about it. Even then, you might want to add a disclaimer because it can be a lot of energy and most crystal shops don’t accept returns.

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