Family, health & career: The best healing crystals for the modern mum

From warding off negative energies to cleansing your aura and helping to instill feelings of love, crystals have long been thought of to have healing and cleansing properties that bring about balance and harmony.

Often linked with feng shui, crystals are also often believed to have different characteristics and frequencies that balance or enhance corresponding chakras, which refer to energy centres in the human body (more on that later) that govern different areas of our lives.

To learn more about chakras, crystals, and the best crystals and semiprecious stones for the modern mum, we spoke to Shu, founder of local healing crystal jewellery brand, Covet Crystals Jewelry (CCJ).

Her own journey with crystal healing started after her mother passed away due to pancreatic cancer when Shu was five months pregnant. Needing help to cope with the grief, depression , and other personal issues, she looked up holistic healing methods, and stumbled upon crystal healing.

The avid fashionista scoured shops and online stores to find stylish crystal jewellery but most carried simple strings of beads that didn’t appeal to her. The ones from luxury houses were also either too small for crystal healing or too expensive.

After carrying little stones in her pockets or bags for about two years, the Fine Arts graduate finally decided to craft her own jewellery, and with that, kickstarted her own label.

What are healing crystals and how do they work? What are they best for?

Shu (S): Crystal healing can promote better physical and mental health by improving the flow of
energy. It can also help block or rid the body of negative energy which can affect the mind and body.

In my personal layman’s terms, crystal healing is related to vibrations and frequencies. We all learn in science that atoms vibrate.

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Due to the different molecular structure of the minerals, each produces different vibrations and frequencies, which sync with our different chakra points and this can influence our emotional and physical being.

A simple example would be when we watch a scary movie — why do most have the tendency to be at the edge of our seats even before the ghosts or monsters appear? It is largely due to the music they use to stimulate some fear and excitement in us.

Music is vibration and frequency. Also, we tend to cheer up or feel sad when we listen to specific songs. Again, we can be influenced by vibration and frequencies which can cause us to react or feel differently.

Another example would be how cats also vibrate between 20 - 150Hz to destress. This act promotes bone growth, as bones harden in response to the vibrations.

What inspires your designs?

S: A lot of things inspire me but if I have to pinpoint strong influences, it would be fashion and vintage jewellery. Fashion is my passion. I truly enjoy dressing up, styling my friends, and sharing fashion tips that I learn along the way.

Aside from the aesthetics, I’m also very influenced by my feelings. Being an artist, I’m naturally an emotional person. Since I started crystal healing, I have learned to acknowledge my feelings and not bottle them up as I did before.

Once I started to accept my feelings and listen to them, I personally feel that my artistic ability has grown on many levels. Many clients and followers have commented that my art over the years has demonstrated much creativity and improvement. For this, I am very grateful.

How should one go about finding suitable crystal jewellery for themselves?

S: I personally believe in having an affinity with the crystals I choose. We believe in the school of thought that crystals actually choose us, and not the other way around.

When a new client is unsure of which CCJ piece to start on her journey, I would suggest to them to listen to their inner wisdom. This means to shortlist three to five pieces that attract them the most.

Then we will have a chat about their concerns and I will be able to point out the most suitable piece for them. They can also choose to take the Chakra Test available on our online boutique so I can aid to assess their chakra scores which can lead to a better understanding of what they possibly require.

What are chakras and how does crystal healing relate to chakras?

S: Chakras are the invisible energy centers of our bodies. The Sanskrit word ‘chakra’ means ‘wheels’, and it translates to ‘wheel of spinning energy’. In a nutshell:

• There are seven major chakras and a few more lesser-known minor ones. Our life force is constantly moving within and this moving energy has seven main locations inside our bodies. Its individual location is shown in the illustration above.
• Each of the seven main chakras is connected to specific organs, glands, and body systems, and each chakra is connected to a color vibration frequency.
• These energy centers are coded with information that can be in the form of a colour vibration, ultra-violet ray, radio or microwave, or to another person’s aura. Our chakras radiate energy vibrations as well as receive the energy of our environment, including the people we are in contact with.
•  In a healthy, well-balanced individual, each chakra will provide just the right amount of energy to the respective part that it governs. In this ideal situation, all the chakras will be aligned in mind, body in spirit, and the individual will function at his or her optimum will little or no physical or mental ailments.

However, more often than not, most of us will have one or more chakras that are either blocked or too active. This imbalance of energies can manifest as emotional and health problems. In extreme cases, it might cause chronic illnesses of the body and mind to develop.

More information about chakras can be found at the ‘byCHAKRAS’ menu at our online boutique.

What are common misconceptions about healing crystals?

S: That crystal healing is new age when mankind has been using crystals for thousands of years, with writings of their usage tied to Ancient Egypt and the era of Mesopotamia.

Also, that crystal healing is related to religion. Many cultures including some religions do use crystals but crystal healing is not exclusively tied to a culture or practice.

What are the crystals best for the modern mum?

Health :

Most crystals are believed to have their own health benefits. For instance, carnelian aids in a more efficient digestive system, phosphosiderite can stimulate better hair and skin growth, and bloodstone can strengthen the immune system and encourage better detoxification.

But in general, green stones are most often associated with good health-promoting better cellular growth, giving anti-stress benefits, and increasing the healing of the physical body.

Popular green stones for health are bloodstone, green aventurine, jade and malachite.

Family:

The two most popular stones used to promote unconditional love and better family relationships are rose quartz and rhodochrosite crystals.

I have read and personally experienced that wearing such stones can allow one’s aura to emit more friendly energy or vibes which the opposite party can feel. Such positive and warm energy can result in others being more receptive to the wearer.

Most of CCJ’s jewelry that has rose quartz in them tend to be bestsellers as pink is a very popular color. I use mostly Madagascar rose quartz as these crystals are particularly famous for their deep pink, rosy hues. The more common rose quartz crystals from places such as China, Brazil, and India frequently possess paler shades and are often less luminous or glowy than the ones from Madagascar.

Career:

For work and career, there is one crystal that instantly comes to mind – Lapis Lazuli. This semi-precious stone is frequently used to enhance inner wisdom, attract work luck and build meaningful friendships.

Over the past two years, six clients have shared with me that wearing the lapis lazuli jewelry from CCJ had helped them breeze through interviews and clinch jobs.

I understand that this can be incredulous to believe but such events did occur and the clients were pleasantly surprised too. I guess this is the mystery and magic of crystal healing.

Wealth:

Citrine and rutilated gold quartz are highly sought after and prized by business owners as they are popular gemstones that are often recommended by many feng shui masters to attract wealth and prosperity.

They are also revered in the gemstone world as they look stunning and are hard to acquire. Most citrines sold in the market these days are actually man-heated amethyst (amethyst heated to more than 400C will chemically change into Citrine).

Here at CCJ, I only work with natural citrine, heated by Mother Nature.

Rutilated gold quartz is highly prized for its beautiful and stunning poker-straight golden inclusion encased within quartz crystals. Densely packed inclusions within crystal-clear Quartz crystals can fetch very premium prices.

It is said that for crystals to work their optimal magic, they should be all-natural and beautiful.

For the stressed and busy mum:

Most of the female clients who have reached out to me are mothers. They seek to find more patience and understanding towards their children and spouses, while juggling their work at the sametime, within the same living space.

I recommend blue stones as they help to balance the Throat Chakra, which governs communication, inner wisdom, and patience. Wearing blue stones has also been known to enhance patience and communication. Communication is not only about speaking but also listening.

The popular blue stones are Blue Lace Agate, Aquamarine, and Lapis Lazuli.

Care tips for crystal jewellery

Use a soft, dry cloth without chemicals to pat your jewellery lightly to whisk moisture or dirt away. Keep your jewellery in a dry space, away from sunlight. You may choose to return them to pouches to slow down oxidation. Keep them away from liquids.

We always include care card instructions with all orders but should they be misplaced, clients can always refer to our online boutique for details.

This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.