A-Z Of 401+ Crystals & Gemstones (Hardness, Water Safe)
I’m often asked about the properties of crystals and other precious stones, usually in reference to cleansing or cleaning them. So, I decided to put together a very extensive, but not exhaustive, list of over 400 precious stones and three important properties; Their Mohs hardness rating, if they are freshwater safe, and if they are saltwater safe.
The Mohs hardness scale
The Mohs hardness scale is a way of determining how hard a material is. It is often used to categorize precious stones and crystals. The Mohs hardness scale goes from 1 to 10, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the hardest. The scale is named after Frederich Mohs, who created it in 1812.
Materials that are very soft, such as talc, can be easily scratched by a fingernail (rating of 2.5 or less on the Mohs hardness scale). Gypsum, which is used in plaster, is also quite soft (rating of 2). On the other hand, materials that are very hard, such as diamonds, cannot be scratched by the scratch tests (rating of 10).
For most practitioners of crystal healing, knowing the Mohs hardness rating for your stones is important. This will tell you if your crystals are water safe (Fresh or saltwater) or not. It also tells you how easy or difficult it will be to clean your crystals, and how well they will stand up to wear and tear.
Which crystals and precious stones are water safe?
If you are using crystals to positively influence your life, then you need to take care of them. Removing negative energy from our crystals allows them to re-energize and renew their positive vibration frequencies. Water is a great way to clean and cleanse many crystals, but not all.
A crystal is often safe to clean under running water with a Mohs hardness rating of 5 or higher. If it has a rating of 6 or higher you can submerge it in either fresh or saltwater with confidence for several hours. However, even some very hard stones should never be submerged in saltwater.
In the list I created for you I’ve actually included a lot of geological materials, and many of them are used for crystal healing. Some of these stones have metallic elements within them which do not do well with saltwater.
The results can vary, but it’s possible for these stones to break if exposed to too much salt water or just lose their luster. In some extreme cases they can degrade and leak toxins into the water they are submerged in, so using these crystals for an elixir is not advised.
On a spiritual level, a crystal that is damaged will not perform at its optimal level and you will not receive its full force of positivity.
Below, you can look up the precious stone or crystal you are working with by its name and see whether or not it’s water safe. When You find an ❌, it means it’s not safe to use for that specific type of water. A ❗ symbol means you can use the crystal or stone with that type of water, but I’d advise you not to do it for long or too regularly. And of course, a ✔️ means that you can feel confident to clean and cleanse your crystal in that type of water.
Charlie Hawes has developed a fascination for the spiritual and metaphysical world around us. He enjoys researching and sharing ideas about how to better understand ourselves and the worlds we live in. Read more
