It’s no marketing gimmick that pretty pink rose quartz is known as a “love” crystal. Natural substances have been used for physical, spiritual, and emotional healing for thousands of years. The earth’s stones are believed to hold all kinds of different properties to harness positive energies and ward off bad vibes. So what does rose quartz have to do with love? Why is everyone so adamant about getting their hands on citrine to help them manifest? It all comes back to the ancient system of chakras. Rose quartz correlates to the heart chakra, aka the energy center for love, while citrine connects with the powerful solar plexus chakra. In fact, there are tons of crystals for each chakra to help keep your energy in check.
Originating in ancient India, the chakra system is a pillar of practice within certain forms of Hinduism and Buddhism. The word chakra means “wheel” in Sanskrit, representing the wheels of energy that flow through the body. “They’re energetic centers, not things you can see,” Paula Hopkins, founder and owner of Chakra Zulu Crystals, tells NYLON, “and they have emotional ties, everything is connected.” The different chakras rule over various emotions, and this explains why you can physically feel things like guilt, shame, joy, and excitement in certain areas of the body. The goal with chakra healing is to align and “open” these energy centers for an overall sense of harmony through the mind, body, and spirit. This can be done through a number of practices like yoga, mantras, meditation, and crystal healing, to name a few.
“I almost liken the chakras to like Maslow's hierarchy of needs,” Hopkins tells NYLON. “The first chakra and the first base of that pyramid is safety and security ... You cannot pass go if that's not met,” she notes, explaining that often it’s a good idea to start chakra work with this first base chakra and work your way up from there. “Then when it comes to crystals, they too have their own meanings and vibrations.” You can match up the meanings of different crystals with certain chakras and use the stone’s energy with that of the chakra.
While there are hundreds of energy wheels throughout the body, there are seven main chakras: the root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third-eye, and crown. Each has a slew of correlating crystals, but luckily, you don’t have to memorize everything individually. Each chakra is tied to a color, making it pretty easy to guess a crystal’s general properties or associated chakra even if you’ve never heard of the stone before. “[Picking chakra stones by color] is certainly something I recommend to beginners,” Anjie Best, founder and owner of Peach and Pixie, tells NYLON. “It’s definitely a tried-and-true guide.”
“But there are crystals that also have secondary uses,” offers Hopkins. “Some can bridge two chakras, so there will be orange, but then also some yellow.” The flow of the chakra system is something of a gradient, so an orange crystal (sacral) that’s a little on the yellow side (solar plexus) would be a go-between for these two chakras and may carry energies for both. “Another rule of thumb,” notes Hopkins, “[is] the darker the crystal, the more potent the energy.” If someone has an overactive chakra, they might benefit from a softer hue, while someone wanting to boost a chakra’s themes would benefit from a darker color.
Below, find the top expert-recommended crystals for each chakra and a rundown on these seven main energy centers.
Root Chakra Crystals: Red Jasper
The first chakra is the root chakra, or Muladhara in Sanskrit, and is located at the base of the spine. It represents your foundation, safety, and security, Hopkins tells NYLON. She notes that this chakra is very near the adrenal system. “I don't think it's by happenstance that everything is set up this way at all,” Hopkins says, “Basically you have your endocrine system, which is your adrenals — flight or flight,” she notes. “If you're not safe, that is how you can get out of a sketchy situation and into safety.” When the root chakra is unbalanced or blocked, you may feel threatened or like you’re on unstable ground.
As far as colors, the root chakra is primarily associated with the color red, but also with black, silver, and brown. Stones of these colors generally carry themes of protection and grounding and are a great starting place for the root chakra.
Specifically, the experts agree that red jasper is more or less the GOAT when it comes to first chakra balancing. “The root chakra is security and confidence, and red jasper is a protection stone and a big stone in the way of confidence,” offers Best. “I like to think of red jasper as a big brother stone: It protects you, but it also wants you to be focused, determined, and awaken your own power and be who you are.” It’s known to be a very grounding crystal, which is ideal to get those roots firmly planted.
If red jasper isn’t speaking to you, Hopkins suggests powerhouse protection crystal black tourmaline. “If you do have root chakra imbalances where you don't feel safe, black tourmaline is amazing for connecting you to the earth [and] grounding, but also transmuting negative vibes,” she tells NYLON. Other recommended options include bloodstone and mystical merlinite for — you guessed it — protection and grounding.
When working with any chakra crystals, Hopkins suggests placing them as close as possible to the intended chakra. The best way to do so with root chakra gems? Stash them in those pockets.
Sacral Chakra Crystals: Carnelian
The sacral chakra — Swadhisthana in Sanskrit — is located at the lower abdomen and represents creativity and sexuality. Physically, this chakra is where the reproductive system is, aka where you’re able to create life, but it’s about creation of all kinds, not just human babies. On the flip side, this is also where you carry shame, so a blocked sacral chakra can cause someone to hold back and have emotional instability or creative blocks. “If everything's flowing and good, you're happy, you're chugging along [and] creativity can flow there,” Hopkins tells NYLON.
For colors, the sacral chakra is linked to the color orange, making fiery carnelian an obvious pick. “I feel like the like flagship stone for the sacral chakra is carnelian because it’s just amazing, but it’s also good for also vitality,” says Hopkins.
Carnelian is also a big courage and creativity stone, and according to Best, it’s *chef’s kiss* for the second chakra. “It embodies what the sacral chakra is,” she tells NYLON. “It’s very [good for] creativity and your sexual energy, and that’s very much about what carnelian is.”
Another notable mention? Peach moonstone. “It’s amazing for women because it is linked to the moon and [also for] emotional stability because we carry a lot of emotions in our sacral chakra,” Hopkins explains. The best place for these stones is also in the pockets, but belly rings or belly chains would would also do the trick.
Solar Plexus Chakra Crystals: Citrine
The third chakra is the solar plexus, or Manipura in Sanskrit. This one sits right around the stomach area, between the belly button and breast bone. The third chakra is known as the chakra of personal power, self-worth, and joy, as it’s linked with “themes of getting things done, self-confidence, willpower, and dedication,” Hopkins says. “When we’ve got our own personal fire going, we're feeling good and getting the things done,” she adds.
When this chakra is blocked, you may feel a knot or uneasiness in your stomach. According to Hopkins, feelings of anxiety are normally tied to the solar plexus. “Anxiety is an issue of the mind,” she tells NYLON, “and yes, we have a brain, we have a mind, but spiritually, the solar plexus represents the mind. And so when we are overthinking and imbalanced, we get that pit in our stomach.”
The colors that represent the third chakra are yellow and gold, with anything yellow-green or lime green as a bridge between the solar plexus and the heart. The crystal that is brought up over and over for the third chakra is notorious manifestation stone citrine, aka the Lucky Merchant’s Stone. “Citrine is all about themes of like happiness, joy, childlike, energy, and prosperity,” Hopkins explains. “Between [the] solar plexus and heart is where you have themes of money and fertility ... so citrine is also really good for people who are business owners,” she offers, recommending keeping some in a cash register to attract wealth and manifest money.
Best agrees, noting citrine’s power to harness your life. “Citrine is about unlocking your personal power, manifesting, and obtaining success and everything good,” she tells NYLON. “It brings you whatever you want, like a magnet, so you can make your dreams a reality.” It’s no wonder manifesters can’t get enough of citrine.
A secondary option for the solar plexus, according to Hopkins, is pyrite. “Pyrite is kind of along the [same] lines ... in terms of attracting wealth and abundance,” she explains. “After all, it is called fool’s gold.” Not only does pyrite carry themes of wealth, but it’s grounding as well, and because it’s linked to the sun, it’s also about willpower, confidence, and getting things done.
Your solar plexus crystals can be worn on a longer necklace or tucked into a bra to keep them close to this energy wheel.
Heart Chakra Crystals: Rose Quartz
The fourth chakra is known as Anahata in Sanskrit. This is the heart chakra, located in the center of the chest. “It’s sort of the bridge between the physical and the spiritual,” Hopkins says, “and that's the most important chakra in my opinion. It covers themes of grief, love of all types, [and] forgiveness.” When there’s a block here, you could be closing people out, not allowing yourself to fully grieve, holding grudges, lacking compassion, or struggling with self-love or inner peace.
The traditional color associated with this chakra is green, but pink and sometimes teal also come into play when you’re talking heart chakra crystals. For the most part, any green or pink crystal will pair nicely with the heart chakra, but most often people turn to the ever so essential crystal, rose quartz. “Rose quartz really is all about cultivating love — all sorts of love,” says Hopkins. “Pink is the color for universal love, so [rose quartz is for] cultivating love, forgiveness, and trust,” she adds. “It's just very soothing to the heart chakra. It’s got a very nice, gentle, connected vibe.”
According to Best, rose quartz can be used for cultivating love in many forms, be it with yourself, family, or friends. “Love crystals,” she says, “don’t always mean romance — but love for yourself, love for your job, or whatever it may be.” If your heart chakra healing goals are specifically focused on romance, Best suggests rhodonite or even carnelian (for that passion and sexual spice). She also recommends green aventurine, which is for opportunities and luck, for success in love and relationships. Other stones she advocates include green and pink crystals like emerald, rhodochrosite, jade, and peach moonstone to cultivate “love, bring forth opportunity, compassion, [and] more positive relationships.” Chrysocolla is another dual-use stone, as it’s a blue-green, so it links the heart and the throat to promote speaking with love, according to Hopkins.
Crystal jewelry like necklaces to sit your stone right on your heart are an easy and stylish way to incorporate heart chakra crystals, but you can also toss these babies into your bra along with your solar plexus pieces.
Throat Chakra Crystals: Sodalite
The fifth chakra — the throat chakra, or Vishuddha in Sanskrit — is pretty self-explanatory as far as location goes. This area covers healthy self-expression, living authentically, and speaking. When your throat chakra is flowing and happy, you’re able to say how you feel and present yourself and live life true to yourself. A blockage here might show as fear of public speaking or voicing your opinions or truth, living inauthentically, or having trouble finding the words to express your thoughts and feelings. An unbalanced throat chakra might have you “living a muted version of who you are to satisfy people in your life,” Hopkins offers.
“Blue crystals are often associated with communication,” Best tells NYLON, “whether that’s communication with self, with other spiritual connections, with friends, family, trying to get a message across, or telling the truth.”
Hopkins concurs, detailing that the throat is every shade of blue you can think of, though you may have some bridging between the throat and third-eye (indigo) depending on the crystal’s shade. “A flagship stone for the throat is sodalite,” she says. Sodalite helps with clear communication and understanding ingoing and outgoing information. Hopkins especially recommends sodalite for studying and even for doing math. As sodalite is leaning on the indigo side of blue, it’s also one of those double-duty stones that can be used for intuition with the third-eye as well.
Circling back to crystal shade intensity, Hopkins says that because sodalite is such a dark blue, it has a more amplifying energy. “That's something that would be great for someone who doesn't speak enough,” she says. “But if you had someone who is oversharing, you would probably want to pass them some blue calcite or celestite ... both are light blue crystals for calming that area down,” she explains. Celestite, she says, is a great choice for communication with guardian angels and psychic development — another one that works for the third-eye as well.
A few other recommended blue throat chakra crystals include aquamarine, blue apatite, and amazonite, with the latter two being “the big communication stones,” according to Best. Wearing these beauties literally around the throat via a necklace is a no-brainer way to carry their energy all day long.
Third-Eye Chakra Crystals: Lapis Lazuli
As you travel up the chakras from your earthy root, the themes get progressively more psychic, spiritual, and divine. The third-eye chakra — Ajna in Sanskrit — is number six and is all about intuition, imagination, dreams, and wisdom. Located between the eyebrows, think of this energy center like another actual eyeball — only it’s a spiritual one. This is where your inner knowing lies. “Some people call it the seat of the soul,” Hopkins tells NYLON. “It’s one of the places we go when we meditate that really helps you eliminate illusion [and] gain the answers that you're looking for.”
When there’s a blockage here, Hopkins says it can present as fogginess. Feeling mentally flustered, not knowing what to do, or not making the best decisions (everyone’s been there) can be signs that the sixth chakra not vibing right. “We always have the answers inside,” Hopkins offers. But when you’re disconnected from your own intuition, those answers are hard to find. Your analytical mind, as Hopkins puts it, takes over and makes you second-guess everything.
Transitioning from the blue of the throat, the third-eye is more indigo and even a little violet. Hopkins’ favorite intuition gem? Lapis lazuli. “It was once dubbed the Stone of Queens,” she notes. “It’s very good for being able to sit with yourself, meditate, and tap into your internal wisdom.”
Best also sings the praises of lapis lazuli for the third-eye chakra, noting its close relation to sodalite. “[It’s] all about wisdom, reaching a higher plane of consciousness, learning more about yourself and life ... and [it’s] also good for [understanding] dreams.”
Another stone you may have heard likened to the third-eye is amethyst. This protective crystal promotes peace and mental calm, which Hopkins says is important for meditation or decision-making. If understanding your subconscious mind via your dreams is the goal, Best recommends fluorite, as it’s known as the “dream crystal.”
Earrings are a simple way to keep your sixth chakra crystals nestled up close to your mind’s eye.
Crown Chakra Crystals: Clear Quartz
The crown chakra, or Sahasrara in Sanskrit, is the seventh and highest chakra. This one sits at — and hovers above — the top of the head. Here is where you link up with the cosmos and discover your life’s purpose. “That is all about your higher self-connection to the universe or the divine,” Hopkins explains, an overall enlightenment of understanding that everything is connected. “It really is like a high-level perspective on life,” Hopkins continues.
When your proverbial overpass to the universe is all janky, you may have a hard time seeing the connection between all things. “[You] could be feeling a cutting off ... between you and the divine, between you and enlightenment, [and] between you and connection,” says Hopkins.
For colors, white is the primary association to the crown chakra, with violet as a secondary. When you’re talking rocks, this encompasses the clear crystals as well, with good ‘ol clear quartz being a rockstar for the seventh chakra. “Clear quartz is deemed the master healer,” Hopkins tells NYLON. “It has the ability to amplify other crystals [and] to hold an intention.” This means you can sit with your clear quartz in meditation and set whatever intention you want into it — be it love, protection, or discovering your life’s purpose. It’s many stones in one, as Hopkins puts it, which makes it a perfect crystal for the culmination of all seven chakras.
A close second for Hopkins is selenite, which never needs cleansing and can recharge all other crystals. “It’s also good for that calmness and stillness that’s needed in order to reach higher states of meditation and that overall connection and enlightenment,” she explains. According to Best, selenite is what’s known as a “love and light” crystal that promotes tranquility. A few other top picks for high vibey crown chakra crystals include rainbow moonstone, herkimer diamonds, and amethyst — another dual chakra baddie that can aid in connection and finding your purpose.
Of course, you can absolutely wear your crown chakra crystals in an actual crown, because why wouldn’t you? But if you’re trying to keep it low-key, earrings work just as well.
There are pretty much endless options when it comes to choosing crystals for each chakra, and each stone has slightly different properties. The chakras are like a rainbow gradient, so you may find those sneaky in-between colored crystals that work for multiple chakras. The key takeaway for beginners here is color association: Next time you wander into a metaphysical shop and happen upon a bizzarely named stone from another corner of the globe, you can take one look at its mossy green sheen and know there’s a fine chance it’ll vibe with your heart — in one way or another.
Experts:
Paula Hopkins, founder and owner of Chakra Zulu Crystals
Anjie Best, founder and owner of Peach and Pixie
