Clare's Cool Crystals of the Week — 19 September
Every week new treasures arrive at the shop, and every week there are a few that I just can't stop looking at. So I've started picking my ten favourites from the latest delivery to share with you here. Each one is hand-picked, and most are one-off pieces — so if something catches your eye, don't wait too long!
Tap any photo or name to see it on the website.
1. Pink Colombian Lemurian Quartz Cluster on Matrix
Why I love it: This one stopped me in my tracks when I unpacked it. A tall, clear central point still sitting on its natural matrix, with a little crown of smaller crystals round the base and that soft pink blush Colombian Lemurians are known for. Look closely and you'll see the fine horizontal lines along the faces — the famous Lemurian ridges. A proper collector's piece.
£69.99 — Shop it here
2. Purpurite Sphere
Why I love it: You don't see purpurite spheres this size very often. Deep violet sweeps across a pale silvery ground, and when the light catches it the whole thing takes on a satin sheen. Fun fact: the purple comes from manganese in the stone itself — no treatment, no dye.
£119.99 — Shop it here
3. Rhodochrosite Specimen with Green Banding
Why I love it: Completely natural and unpolished, just as it came out of the ground. Pink right the way through, with bands of grey-green running across the face, which you don't often see in rhodochrosite. It comes from Argentina, where legend says it was the blood of Inca rulers turned to stone, which is why it's still nicknamed the 'Inca Rose'.
£39.99 — Shop it here
4. Aquamarine Sphere
Why I love it: Of the two aquamarine spheres that came in, this was the best by a mile. A deep sea blue with soft cloudy banding drifting through it, and a lovely glassy polish. Aquamarine is a beryl, the same family as emerald, and its name literally means 'sea water'.
£99.99 — Shop it here
5. Rose Quartz Gnome Carving
Why I love it: How could I not? This charming wee gnome has a tall pointed hat and a gently smiling face, all hand-carved from soft blush rose quartz. The colour fades from deeper pink at the cap to a creamy, almost see-through white at the base. Pure happiness on a shelf.
£49.99 — Shop it here
6. Serpentine Jade Octopus
Why I love it: Who doesn't need a crystal octopus? This little one is full of character, blending deep forest green with fresh apple green. Serpentine gets its name from its mottled, scaly look, which reminded early mineralogists of snakeskin.
£44.99 — Shop it here
7. Black Tourmaline Freeform
Why I love it: A high-grade piece of black tourmaline, full of sparkly formations that glint every time you turn it. Black tourmaline (known as schorl) gets its inky colour from iron. Dutch traders in the 1700s nicknamed it the 'ash puller' because, when heated, it could pull ash and paper towards it.
£54.99 — Shop it here
8. Pink Amethyst Rose Carving
Why I love it: Soft peachy-pink petals, fully open, with a sparkly golden druzy pocket left natural at the back. Every rose is carved by hand so no two are the same — the perfect gift for someone you love (or yourself!).
£44.99 — Shop it here
9. Lapis Lazuli Palmstone
Why I love it: That deep lapis blue is just gorgeous, with sweeping white calcite bands across one face and a fine scatter of golden pyrite that catches the light. Those golden flecks are pyrite, not gold, though the ancients often thought otherwise. Tutankhamun's famous funeral mask is inlaid with lapis.
£29.99 — Shop it here
10. Garden Quartz Polished Freeform
Why I love it: Look inside and it's a tiny landscape under glass. The mossy green is chlorite that got trapped while the quartz was still growing, with little russet flecks of iron scattered through. Every single one is a different little world.
£42.99 — Shop it here
See everything that's just landed in New Arrivals, or pop into the shop at 61 South Street, St Andrews to see them in person. Free UK postage on orders over £29.98.
Lots of love, Clare x
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