Top 5…crystal & gemstone books
April 4, 2010
1) The Crystal Bible, by Judy Hall
Layout: Alphabetical order, Healing-Oriented
Brief Info about each stone: Color, Appearance, Rarity, Source
Detailed Info about each stone:
- Attribues: the healing properties of the stone, in term of psychological and mental help
- Healing: more about the physical health benefit of the stone, such as which illness it is helpful for
- Position: where is the best part to wear the stone for optimal performance
- Specific Colors: many stones are available in various colors, for which the healing properties will be different
Additional Information:
- Crystal Healing
- Crystals and the Zodiac
- Crystals and the chakras
- Crystals and the auras
- Crystal Shapes
Summary: Great book for in-depth knowledge about crystals and as reference for inquiries about healing aspect of crystals. Something that you can spend the whole Sunday afternoon reading!
2) Healing Crystals & Gemstones From Amethyst to Zircon, by Dr. Flora Peschek-Bohmer & Gisela Schreiber
Detailed Info about each stone:
- History and legend
- Healing properties
- Chakra classification
- Star sign
- Application and care
Additional Information:
- List the main gemstones that are beneficial for each Zodiac sign and even a description of the characteristics of that sign!
- Gemstones & the Chakras
Summary: Love the large photos and the clean and simple layout that allows reader to quickly understand whether the particular crystal is suitable for him/her.
3) The Encyclopedia of Crystals, by Judy Hall
Layout: organized by colors, which is a great source of stone color combination when designing
Brief Info about each stone: Crystal system, Chemistry, Hardness, Source, Chakra, Number, Zodiac sign, Planet, Beneficial for (lists out all the physcial, mental, psychologically & emotional benefits, so easy to quickly pick out whatever you need to know)
Detailed Info about each stone: a paragraph mainly focusing on the healing aspect of the stones
- The history of crystals
- Quartz tools
Summary: It’s the largest out of the 5, so it’s so it contains the most number of crystals and minerals variation, even those that are not typically seen in bead forms.
4) Crystals, by Jennie Harding
Layout: organized by colors, which is a great source of stone color combination when designing
Brief Info about each stone: Form & Structure, Color, Geographical Sources, Rarity (great for getting idea of the value and price of the stone), Hardness, Physical/Emotional Uses, Healing Effects & Personal uses
- background information about the stone, such as where its history, its stone family
- healing aspect, such as where to put it, its benefits
Additional Information:
- Crystals & Colors
- Crystals in your life
- Crystal Healing
- Crystals for physical health (list of physical conditions and the suitable cyrstals for the healing process)
- Crystals as birthstones
- Zodiac Sign List
- Quartz tools
Summary: For most stones, it will have photos of the stones in both raw and polished forms, really interesting to see. Very all-inclusive book, no matter whether you interest is more healing or geographical, you will enjoy this colorful crystal book.
5) Guide to Gems, by Cally Oldershaw
Layout: organized according to stone family groups, such as garnet, beryl, chalcedony. It’s more science-oriented
Brief Info about each stone: chemical composition, color, refractive index, specific gravity hardness, crystal group, cleavage, fracture, tenacity, luster, transparency, dispersion, birefringence, pleochroism, location
- Color Guide (7 pages displaying stones grouped together by color tone)
- EXCLUSIVE! map of the world showing where different stones can be mined
- Fashioning and Cutting: in-depth explanation about the different types of stone cutting styles and even the stages in faceting a brillant diamond
- Imitation and Synthetic Stones
- History of gems
Summary: Unlike the other 4 books, this one steps away from the healing aspects and instead talks about the stones’ presence in history and in the present. Also, it also shows lots of gorgeous jewelry made of various gems!
Do you have a favourite gemstone book too? Share with us!
Order does not reflect preference, each one has something different to offer!
