How to Choose Crystals & Discovering Your Ideal Method (or Methods)

How to Choose Crystals | Sparkle & Beyond

Have you been longing to learn more about how to choose crystals? Adding new crystals to your collection or selecting a crystal (or a few) to spend time with can be an incredibly fun and satisfying part of your crystal journey.

Whether you’re new to crystals or these sparkly stones have been part of your life for a while now, it’s natural to wonder about the best way to choose which crystals to buy or use.

Below, you’ll find some lovely, effective ways to choose crystals. They’re ideal to use when you’re browsing in an online or brick-and-mortar crystal shop for some new gems to come home with you or when you’re selecting which crystals to spend time with (e.g. for crystal meditation, creating a crystal grid, or just to carry with you).

You can choose whichever approach appeals to you, and any of these can be used with any crystal.

Just remember, whichever method (or methods) you use, you want crystals with the best vibration for you, so be sure to choose crystals that you’re drawn to.

When selecting crystals, you can…

Choose By Color or Shape

We are charmed by crystals for so many reasons… such as their enchanting colors, shapes, and forms. And embracing these qualities is a wonderful way to select crystals.

Maybe you are especially interested in or fascinated by, say, pink crystals or crystals in the shape of a sphere, tower, or a beloved animal.

Crystals in the same color family or with the same shape tend to share similar properties. For example, pink crystals are associated with joy, kindheartedness, nurturance, and love, while crystal spheres suggest peacefulness and wholeness.

Any of these methods can also work beautifully if you’re choosing a crystal for someone else. Just remember to keep that person in mind, holding the intention to choose a lovely, meaningful crystal for them.

So, if you’re especially attracted to certain crystal colors or shapes, you may be yearning for their particular properties.

You may also love certain crystal forms or finishes. For example, if you’re a sensitive soul, you may gravitate towards tumbled stones, which have a softer, more gentle energy than crystals with a rougher finish.

Choose By Crystal Meanings or Uses

Another reason we adore healing crystals is for the ways they can help us… And so many of us love to select crystals for certain meanings or uses, such as crystals for self-care, creativity, energy protection, or HSPs (highly sensitive people).

When choosing crystals by their meanings, you can select a crystal you’re drawn to and then learn more about its properties. Or you can focus on what you are wishing for and then select one or a few crystals to support that dream or goal.

Select By Touch

Choosing crystals by touching them may be an impactful method for you, especially if you’re just getting started with crystals or you’re someone who tends to gather information through touch.

Being able to touch or hold a crystal can help you connect with it and its vibration. You may feel the crystal’s energy or a pulse or buzz as you hold it. Sometimes you’ll know at once if the crystal is right for you; other times you may spend a few moments holding the crystal before you know.

Let Your Intuition Guide You

When you choose a crystal using your intuitive wisdom, you use your heart (rather than your practical mind). Just relax, be still, and open your heart to whichever crystal may want to work with you.

When a crystal is right for you, you may feel pulled towards it. You may feel a tingling sensation, a “ping” inside, or that you absolutely must pick it up. You may become teary-eyed or feel an overwhelming sense of relief looking at it. Or your eye may simply be irresistibly drawn to a certain crystal – and you may not be able to look away or move away from it (or you keep coming back to it).

When you are fascinated by a certain crystal, do some reading to learn more about it (you will likely discover that its properties are an ideal fit for you).

Don't worry if you feel that you’re not intuitive. Give yourself permission and freedom to listen to what your body is saying to you, gently building your self-trust and intuition. Or you may choose to use another of these ways to select crystals, instead.

Use Finger Dowsing or A Pendulum

You may also love exploring the use of a pendulum or finger dowsing (a form of muscle testing) to help you choose crystals.

Finger dowsing is a simple, effective way for your body to tell you whether a crystal is a good choice for you or not. If you haven’t tried finger dowsing before, you can learn more about it in this video.

If you use a crystal pendulum to help you choose crystals, remember to cleanse your pendulum regularly, too.

Using a pendulum (another form of dowsing) can also be a calming, gratifying way to choose crystals. A pendulum is a symmetrical crystal and/or metal object attached to a chain or string. When you ask your pendulum a simple Yes/No question, it will make a certain movement for Yes or a different movement for No.

To use a pendulum to select a crystal, simply hold the pendulum over or near the crystal and ask the pendulum if this crystal is right for you. Watch the pendulum’s movement to see its answer – Yes or No. (You may enjoy this helpful video about how to use a pendulum.)

Have Someone Choose for You

Another way to find crystals is to have someone choose them for you.

For example, if you’re new to crystals, you may decide to begin your crystal collection with a convenient, premade beginner kit filled with a pretty, practical assortment of stones.

Having qualms about how to choose crystals?

Relax and take pleasure in the process. All crystals have healing properties, so any crystal may be beneficial for you. Don't worry or put pressure on yourself to select "the perfect crystal."

Maybe the shop owner of your favorite online crystal shop intuitively and thoughtfully selects the perfect crystals for you.

Or perhaps you’ve decided to nurture yourself with a crystal course or workshop and the instructor provides a lovely collection of crystals intended for use in the class and beyond.

If you’re feeling hesitant or unsure about how to choose crystals or just adore the convenience of letting a trusted person select them for you, you may fall in love with this method of choosing crystals.

Knowing how to choose crystals to add to your collection and to use in your favorite crystal practices or celebrations can be so pleasurable and impactful. Which is your favorite method for choosing crystals? We’d love to hear!