What does ‘charging’ a gemstone mean?
To charge a gemstone is to infuse it with positive natural energies, and dispel any negative energies that may be clinging to it. If you are able to sense energies in your crystals, you may find that after a while the energy feels dampened or dull. You can cleanse and refresh the energy in your crystal by using one of the following methods;
Water
Caution! Not all gemstones can be safely left to soak in water. Opaque or organic stone, such as malachite or amber should not be immersed in water. This method is, however, good for transparent, crystalline stones such as diamond.
Place your gemstone in a bowl of water with an added pinch of salt, and leave to soak for several hours or overnight. Remove from the bowl, rinse off in cold water and dry carefully. Pour the water the stone was sitting in away after use.
Alternatively, leave outside in the rain for several hours or several days.
Light
Caution! Some stones can become discoloured when exposed to bright light over a prolonged period. Take care with stones such as Aventurine, Amethyst, Apatite, Aquamarine, Beryl, Celestite, Citrine, Fluorite, Kunzite, Rose Quartz, Sapphire and Smokey Quartz.
Leave your stone outside during the day to soak up the sun’s rays, or overnight to absorb the moon’s light.
Burying
Bury your gemstone in a small bowl of sand or salt. Gems which could safely be soaked in water could also be buried in a bowl of moist earth. Leave buried for at least a day, and then remove, wipe clean carefully with a damp cloth and pat dry.
Smudging
Light a smudge stick, or some incense and hold the stone in the smoke for 30 seconds to a minute. Particularly useful incenses to use are sage and sandalwood as they help remove the negative energies released into the air.
Personal Energy
Sit with your gemstone in your hands, and visualise your personal energy flowing into and merging with it. Concentrate on chanelling negative energies into the earth, while you fill the crystal with positive energy.
Handle your gemstones often as well, as the more you touch, the more they will pick up your own personal energies and work well for you. In the same way, if you allow others to handle them too often their effectiveness may be weakened as they become diluted by the myriad different energies mixing with them.