All over the world! Quartz crystals like Toby’s can be found in Africa, Austria, Australia, China, Croatia, the Himalayas, India, Italy, Madagascar, New Zealand, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, South America, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, and The U.S.A. Crystals grow in clefts, caverns, caves and corridors deep within the Earth, and in countries with the right conditions, such as Brazil, huge quantities of quartz can be found. Quartz is not the only crystal, there are very many varieties. Some are formed under immense pressure and heat within the Earth, such as garnet, ruby, sapphire and tiger eye. Over centuries, rain, frost, heat, ice, sun and storms cause rocks to break up on mountain sides, they roll down into rivers and are carried with the current, breaking down into pebbles which dry out and form new minerals, such as calcite, pyrite, malachite and turquoise. Some crystals found in the Earth are thousands or even millions of years old !

Carefully! Harder crystals like quartzes prefer a gentle wash in tepid water, but softer crystals such as malachite and turquoise can be covered with just a sprinkle of dry sea salt, leaving this overnight, then throwing the salt away. Some people put crystals in a bowl of brown rice before throwing the rice away. Rinse gently in a little tepid water before drying carefully. Often people will cleanse crystals in rock pools, streams and rivers, waterfalls and even fresh snow. Crystals are recharged by full moon energy – place outside in a safe place. Some people put crystals under trees and bushes to recharge them. Notice how bright they become after you’ve done this! [They don’t like hot sunshine especially behind glass].Group together when not in use.