How To Care for Your Crystals

Gemstones, crystals and minerals have been used for various reasons far and wide since ancient times. Their hard exterior makes it seem like they aren’t vulnerable to wear and tear. To make the most of their properties and maintain their beauty, you must treat them with as much care as you treat any other valuable.

If you’ve been looking for tips on how to clean and care for your crystals and gemstones, look no further! Here, I’ll explain some tried-and-tested ways you can use to care for them. These are ways to keep them physically clean, and are not cleansing for their metaphysical properties. Perfect especially if you own crystal jewelry too!

Tip #1: Use a dedicated soft brush

No matter the type of crystal, it is essential that you clean them regularly, to prevent dust and dirt buildup. Sure, their shine comes naturally, but unless you give them a thorough cleaning from time to time, dust will definitely dull their brightness and properties.

Use a brush with soft bristles to scrub the crystals. I use a straw cleaning brush meant for cleaning the insides of straws to get into the tiny grooves and crevices of crystals. The key here is to be gentle with the brushing because the last thing you need is to scratch up the stone or rub away its shine. Some crystals have been expertly polished already, and depending on their hardness, can be easily scratched. If the gemstone resides within a piece of jewelry, then keep that in mind as you’re scrubbing, or it might become loose. Be exceptionally gentle with crystal jewelry! Also if you do soak your crystals, make sure they are of the type that does not dissolve in water, such as selenite.

Tip #2: Take extra care when using an ultrasonic cleaner

Ultrasonic cleaners are perfect for cleaning precious stones and are great for cleaning crystal jewelry. But beware! Not all stones are suited for ultrasonic cleaning. Some might even lose their beauty if you use this method of cleaning. Make sure you do your research beforehand about the type of gemstone you have and whether it’s even suitable for ultrasonic cleaning, or you’ll end up with a dull rock in place of a stunning gemstone! Some gemstones perfect for ultrasonic cleaning are of course the diamond, but also amethyst and citrine.

Tip #3: Protect crystals from sunlight

UV rays aren’t only harmful to your skin - your gemstones are susceptible to damage as well! Depending on the intensity of sunlight, it can decrease both the crystal’s lustre and some crystals will start to fade. If you live in an especially hot and sunny area, then extra care for crystals is much needed - their color might be bleached if they are constantly sitting in the sun!

Another thing to keep in mind is that extreme temperature changes might damage or fracture the crystal. If you go out into the cold after an entire day in a heated room, you might risk losing your crystal altogether to breakage or cracks!

Tip #4: Store crystal jewelry separately

Depending on the type, you need to store your crystal jewelry separately so as not to scratch against and damage each other. This is particularly important to keep in mind when traveling; use different pouches for different crystals and wrap each piece to minimize damage. Lattice Jewels, the sister brand of Lattice Gems, has each piece of crystal jewelry sent to you in silsuede pouches for this very purpose - beautiful premium pouch storage and excellent protection!

Wondering where you can get crystal jewelry or high-quality crystals from? My store Lattice Gems has tons of options you can choose from, perfect for you crystal lovers!

With love, Lattice