Experiencing Crystals
Don’t Do This To Amethyst Cave
Jan
Here I discuss the ins and outs of owning and therefore needing to care for an amethyst cave, large or even small crystal cluster. So many customers used to come to the shop, to admire the caves we had, and then to give horror stories about what had happened to those the bought else where. This hopes to educate you so you have decade of joy!
You can watch (and probably enjoy the demonstration) here, or read the transcript. Enjoy!
Watch The Video
Transcript – A Practical Guide – Caring for Your Amethyst Cave
By Shamarah, The Rock Crystal Shop
Hi, I’m Shamarah. I am the owner of The Rock Crystal Shop. And while I’ve had a very interesting time learning about being a business owner—after I did corporate—it was a bit of a shock to the system. And I while I was doing some parts well in some parts, but not others… my guide said it was time to share all that I had learned about the crystals during those 18 years that I was running shops and doing markets.
Now, I’m just working on the website. That makes it easier for me to get this new work going. It was always important. Years ago, I was told that I’d be doing something in depth. I just didn’t expect it to be this. So this is one of my very first videos going live.
I hope you enjoy it. The whole purpose of it is to help people know what not to do with an Amethyst cave—and what to do—so that it gives you as many years of practical love. I’m not going to talk about the metaphysical at this point, just the practical parts of loving it.
The First Mistake: Sunlight
Firstly, a lot of people don’t think about this when they buy crystals: there is a particular type of care they need.
Amethyst care is kind of that pinnacle crystal that people want. The bigger, the better! Maybe you get it as an anniversary gift, or a wedding gift, or you just save up really hard and over time, you can buy a really big piece. But the disappointment for so many people is that they’re not told properly how to look after it.
They take their lovely cave with a very big Amethyst cluster—like the one I’ll show you at the end—and they stick it in the full sun. Most crystals have grown in the dark. Most crystals do not tolerate full sun. You will go from having a beautiful purple crystal to one that gets paler and paler until eventually it’s… well, pretty well grey.
So let’s get you not doing that.
Yes, you might want to put the crystal in some sunshine to reenergise it, to help clean it of energy it’s been absorbing. At the markets, my Amethyst was happy being out in full sun once a week for 15 to 30 minutes. But I had turnovers.
So I recommend: only 5 to 10 minutes. Do it while you’re in the sun. You need the vitamin D! After 10 minutes, you’ll get hot and boggled and you’ll remember to take all your crystals back inside.
Don’t leave them out. That’s not the purpose. Crystals can clean themselves quickly—you just need a strong intention: that the Amethyst is going in the sun to be cleaned and energised.
The Second Mistake: Dust & Growth
Next, people don’t realise crystals keep growing.
You buy lovely Amethyst caves—or any cluster—and the dirt accumulates. If you’re a good little cleaner and regularly do a full moon ceremony, put them in the sun, and wash them—well done!
But caves are heavy, and people forget they gather dust. What happens if you don’t clean the dust? The crystal grows over the dust. The dust becomes a permanent fixture.
Someone once sold me a big Fluorite piece that had been in the bottom of a cupboard for 20 years. Dust and all—it had grown over the dust! I couldn’t clean it out. Someone still loved it and bought it, but that’s not what you want for your Amethyst.
How to Clean Your Amethyst Cave
So here’s me washing them.
What you don’t realise is Amethyst—or any quartz—is actually a really strong crystal.
Amethyst grows in water. I’ve seen it! I was at the mine. When they crack open a cave, water floods out before they even check the quality.
So Amethyst is perfectly fine with 100% water, all the time. Unless you’ve got one with a lot of inclusions—then all bets are off.
So:
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Hose them down—hard. You’ll see me doing it in the video.
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If you’ve got calcite inclusions, just check how well-anchored they are.
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Most loose calcite would’ve fallen off in transit anyway.
Now, what if you have a cave too big to move? Like in the shop?
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Waterproof the area.
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Use cups of water, throwing them in to clean the crystal.
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Tilt the cave forward so water runs out.
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Do this on a warm day so it dries well.
Important: the bottom of the Amethyst cave is concrete. No one tells you this. It helps them stand upright. Good suppliers use minimal concrete; others use a few inches and paint it to look better.
If the paint crumbles—just go get a pot of paint and touch it up. I’ve done that over time.
Meet My Crystal, Jodaline
Next image: a very big Amethyst piece. Likely part of a large cave that broke. I’ve had her 20 years. Her name is Jodaline. She told me she’s not to be sold—she’s my temple crystal.
She sat in the healing room when I used to do healings. She held energy amazingly. When I opened the shop, she stayed home on the altar. She’s blessed the house beautifully for over a decade.
I don’t do healings anymore—I’m teaching you to let your crystals do the work with you.
So here she is—getting a big blast of water. She’s got calcite on her, but they’re well lodged. She had been dusty from being in a neglected spot during my stressful times. She’s a bit murky, but now she’ll get regular cleanings.
Final Practical Tips
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Don’t be afraid to wash your Amethyst caves or clusters.
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Make sure they’re strongly bonded.
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Don’t wash delicate crystals like Selenite or Desert Roses—they’ll dissolve!
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If you’re cleaning indoors, line your sink with tea towels to protect both the crystal and the sink.
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Let them dry outside for 12 hours if possible.
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My cave now sits in the hallway—blessing everyone who walks in.
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Jotaline is back in the bedroom—blessing the marriage, surrounded by others.
Closing Words
I hope this helped. I hope this makes a lot of sense. It’s one of many “Did You Know” tips and techniques I’ll be sharing.
Some will have more of a metaphysical bent, but I wanted to start with the practical stuff—because everyone needs to know this.
Blessings on your time with crystals.
Blessings, blessings.
And have a great day.
