Misguided Metaphysical: Why we do not sell the metaphysical properties of our stones

I love gemstones and crystals and I think they have a mysterious kind of magic about them.

Now, hearing that from your gemstone dealer may come as no surprise. I am genuinely fascinated by gemstones, their beauty and the stories behind each kind of stone. There have been many times that I have been totally transfixed by the beauty of a stone and lost myself in wonder while contemplating the millions of years and myriad factors that coalesced to create the little beauty that I grasp. I sometimes ponder the beauty of our earth's core and the magnificent magma that has cooled and become the earth's crust and all of the stones and crystals found within it. Gemstones are magical and to love them for this mysterious beauty is a wonderful part of working with and admiring gemstones and crystals.

But for us and our business, we have made the decision not to feature or push the metaphysical healing properties of stones as a part of our sales. By metaphysical, I mean the supernatural or immaterial properties of stones based on intuition, folklore and speculation. If you are at all familiar with the gem and crystal world, I suspect you know what I am talking about. It is the act of prescribing stones and their supernatural powers to help heal ailments and aid in overcoming things in one's life.

If you have been following us for a while, you may have noticed that we pretty well never discuss the metaphysical properties of stones. Instead, we choose to share the geological, cultural and historic significance of the stones we sell. As a stone and crystal dealer, this was a hard decision for us to make. For many sellers in the gem and crystal world, metaphysical properties are a huge part of the marketing and sales of their products. It allows sellers to present gemstones and crystals not only as beautiful natural specimens, but also as spiritual and healing wonders that can help the buyer overcome a problem. It is pretty clear to see the appeal of this, both as a buyer and a seller. But for us, we have decided not to use these metaphysical properties as a selling point because of a profound event that happened early on in our business.

My perspective changed in 2018, in the early days of New Stone Age Cabochons. At the time, everything was new and enthralling. We were selling stones and connecting with lots of people over our shared love of gemstones. Folks would regularly ask me about the metaphysical properties of the stones we were selling, partially to get educated but also because it was fun to talk about. Almost always, I would refer them to Judy Hall's The Crystal Bible, a reference guide for the metaphysical properties of stones. It felt like a harmless and fun way of exploring and discussing the beautiful stones that we sell.

This all changed after receiving one such message on Instagram. The individual who messaged us shall remained unnamed, but she was a very nice lady in her mid 50's looking to buy some stones. She had never bought stones from us before and, like many others, was curious about the metaphysical properties of the stones we were selling. The difference this time though, was that she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and she wanted stones to help her in her battle against this deadly disease. For me, this interaction totally changed my perspective on the the metaphysical properties of stones. I felt like it was irresponsible to recommend a stone for such a dire disease, and possibly mislead somebody at a time of immense need and vulnerability. I ended up telling her that I didn't feel comfortable prescribing stones for such a serious ailment. I sent her my thoughts and prayers and wished her the best in what surely was to be an uphill battle.

As I'm sure you know, cancer is no joke. It is the 2nd leading cause of death in North America. One would be hard-pressed to find anybody on this continent who has not been impacted by the disease. I personally know at least a dozen people who have battled the disease, including several members of my family. Unfortunately, several of them lost their lives. Cancer is a serious health concern and should be taken very seriously. If one is considering gemstones and crystals as a treatment strategy against cancer, I'd suggest that we need to rethink the way we talk and discuss the healing properties of stones. I believe there should be a line in the sand, between the fun and amusement of exploring gemstones and crystals and what I believe is the dangerous thinking that crystals may protect or help one heal from grave diseases. By leaning too much into the power of crystals and gems, one may ignore or not listen to professional health advice that has a proven track record of fighting against grave diseases.

Crystals and gemstones are beautiful, fascinating and indeed magical. The supernatural powers of stones are fun to talk and think about though I believe these beliefs can have dangerous unintended consequences if taken to the extreme. The purpose of this blog is not to shame folks for what they believe or say, nor tell them what to do or not to do in their own business. Instead, I wanted to explain our decisions and what led us to make them. I believe that stones have an inherent magic that is challenging to explain and exploring this is a fun element of the world of gemstones and crystals. But I personally will not be sharing their metaphysical healing properties as a way of selling them.