The Illustrated Guide To Crystals (ISBN 0806936274)

Basic guide to crystals:
Because of their beauty and qualities, crystals have been used by mankind for many millennia. Nowadays they are used for decoration, in industry and in medicine. This book is a simple but beautifully illustrated guide to these gems. In the chapter Living With Crystals, the author gives advice on choosing, cleansing and programming your crystals. The subsequent chapters deal with the use of crystals for a variety of purposes and include lists of helpful crystals in every case. These purposes include healing: physical, emotional and mental and how to make gem remedies; protection: safeguarding the aura and how to make talismans and amulets; divination with crystal balls; the qualities of crystals in dispersing negative energy, inducing peace, vitality, grounding, intuition and abundance; astrology: the crystals of earth, water, air and fire; wisdom, including crystals of vision, insight and wisdom for use in meditation. Then follows the crystal directory that provides photographs, the source, appearance, properties and position in which to wear more than 150 stones. There are beautiful colour illustrations and photographs throughout the book and it concludes with an index and a list of suppliers of crystals and gem remedies. This book is a basic guide; for a more comprehensive treatment of crystals, I recommend this author's The Crystal Bible or Love Is In The Earth by Melody.

My Constant Referral!:
I have an extensive collection of crystals, but where would I be without this guide? I constantly refer to this book. I just can't wait to get Judy Hall's, "The Crystal Bible", that's next!

The Illustrated Guide to Crystals:
This is one of my favorites books- It's laid out well, every page is filled with clear, concise, easy to understand information. The photographic images are top quality. It's a must have for any beginner interested in living with crystals. It also makes a great accompaniment for the crystal enthusiast

Great Beginner's Guide:
I think this book is an excellent beginner's guide to crystals, what they do, and how they can benefit a person. There are some brief sections about crystals in our world, what crystals do, and how to go about choosing a crystal. There is also a nice little section about cleansing your crystals and programming them also. This book also explains a bit about the chakras, their functions, and what crystals/stones that work with each chakra. There is also a very nice guide in the Crystals and the body section, which displays two illustations of the body. Each part of the body has several crystals which help with each specific part. It also talks about which crystals help with the Endocrine system, Immune system, Digestive Tract, Back, Lower back, and Capillaries. Also in this book is a basic guide to crystals that aid physical conditions, you won't find every single thing one can think of, but it is a good and basic introductory. Crystal Qualities is a great chapter that lists several stones for each section: Grounding, Dispersing negative energy, Creativity, Vitality, Peace and relaxation, Confidence and self-worth, Meaning and purpose, Opening the intuition, Past-life recall, and Abundance. There is also a nice crystal directory that lists stones by their color. In my opinion it is not the best type of directory you could find. If that is what you are looking for in a book, then this wouldn't be the best buy. If you want a summarized verison of a list of crystals and more information on their uses and what they can help with, then I would recommend this book.

Crystal Curious:
The Illustrated Guide To Crystals was informative about gems and crystals and their uses. I found it to be a tad shallow and had hope for more details. It is an excellent "Beginner Book" for those wanting a quick look at crystals and their proprieties.