Natural Crystals vs Man Made Crystals: where do you stand?

Surely if you are even a bit into healing crystals, you may have heard phrases in the crystal world like “natural” or “man-made” in regards to how the crystal came to be. Is the difference and does it matter?

Natural crystals are just that, they occur in nature. They likely were mined or excavated out of a particular location where deposits are found. These specimens are then cut and polished into desired shapes for different uses like jewelry, decor, crystal healing tools, and more.

Man-made crystals are sometimes also composed of natural organic compounds but are then processed with heat or other chemicals into forming often nearly-as-beautiful crystals as their naturally occurring counterparts. Given that they are created, does that make them any less useful? In my opinion, not really but…

I actually really like a few different man-made crystals such as opalite and goldstone. Goldstone is a beautifully sparkly crystal that I really enjoy working with and is actually made from copper and glass being heated together. While opalite is also a glass, it is made with an opalescent opacity to give it the appearance of naturally occurring opal.

As discussed in my book, Welcome Well, crystals have a particular vibration and can be used in a variety of different ways in our day-to-day life. They can be particularly useful when meditating, working with your chakras, manifesting, and moon work just to name a few. Both natural and man-made crystals can be useful depending on your intention, and both carry a vibration of their own. Some argue that natural ones are the only way to go, but I think there is room in the crystal world for both. I use both in jewelry that I make as well as jewelry that I buy. I also use both in my crystal grids and appreciate what each has to offer.

 What are your thoughts and which are your favorites?