There are many wonderful ways to clean your gemstones but one method, above all others, restores their natural energetic charge to its most vital and vibrant condition. Let me start with this approach and after list the other ways that are also good, and sometimes more convenient.
Above and beyond everything else gemstones love the energy of the moon. There seems to be a dynamic affinity between gemstones and the energy of the moon. Moon energy cleans and re-charges the frequencies alive within the gemstones most profoundly. The most powerful night to bathe gemstones in moon energy is the night of the full moon. The second-best night is the night before the full moon and all other nights of the moon calendar hold less and less strength to the new moon, that holds the weakest connection to gemstones.
You can moon bathe your gemstones every month if you would like, and for more than one night if you wish, but this is not usually necessary. A few times a year is more than enough for infrequent use, but you may want to bathe a gemstone more frequently if you are working with and wearing it continuously. I moon bathe my crystal quartz meditation stones every other month, and if I am going through a powerful transition I will bathe them every month until I am through it.
Before you bathe your gemstones in moonlight you will want to wash them in lukewarm soapy water. Rinse them thoroughly and pat them dry to be sure you have removed all the soap, oils, and specks of dust that may have attached to them. Now you can place your gemstones in the path of the moonlight. If it is safe to put the gemstones outside, this will be the best place for them, but through a windowpane is fine too. Make sure, wherever you put them, they will get the most exposure to the moon, for the longest possible time from this location.
An added benefit is to place a large piece of crystal quartz, a crystal quartz cluster, or a bowl of crystal quartz tumble stones under the moonlight for repeated nights and bring them inside for the dwindling arcs of the moon cycle to set your gemstones among them. Crystal quartz is a great carrier of energy and will hold the energy of the moon and transfer the benefits to your stones away from the moon light. Let your gemstones sit among the charged quartz, away from direct sunlight, in a dark place is even better, to get the greatest benefit.
If you cannot moon bathe your gemstones, placing them overnight in a generous bowl of dry salt, or heavily salted water, is also very detoxifying and restoring. Wash the gemstones before you do this to make sure they are also physically clean and remember to throw away the salt when you have finished, as it will be polluted and not good for anything after it has been used.
A note on the softness of gemstones – Any gemstone less than a 5 on the MOHS scale will not respond well to water, do not submerge these stones, or use soap on them. Prolonged exposure will corrode the stone over time. Wiping with a dry cloth and the dry salt method of cleaning is best for these stones, as well as moonlight bathing.
Another way to clean your stones, but not re-charge them, is the ultrasonic jewellery cleaner. These machines clean exceptionally well physically, but they can affect the essential nature of some stones if used too frequently. To use this method three or four times a year will not harm the essential nature of the stones, but more regular use may interfere with the peaceful flow of the stone’s natural frequency. Regular washing with lukewarm, soapy water will keep the gemstones clean, but if you want that super clean feeling from time to time, infrequent use of an ultrasonic jewellery cleaner is not a problem.
I enjoy the ritual of caring for my gemstones. As I do, I often give thanks to my gemstones for the help they have given me. I find myself literally thanking my stones as I care for them, and I feel so much gratitude as I do. I have so often asked them for very specific help and been rewarded with their purifying support. Over the years I have come to appreciate enormously their contribution to my spiritual growth and how much wisdom and understanding I have learnt through my relationship with them. Gemstones are such joyful, divine gifts that bring so much pleasure to our sometimes quite serious spiritual work. I am forever grateful to have their angelic frequencies in my life.
