What to do with Broken Crystals?

I think all of us, crystal collectors, at some point have some crystals break. No matter how much care we take of these little (or laaaarge) beauties, sometimes we just bump into the table, push them over and they get ‘damaged’. Life can happen.
But does this damage make the crystals any less valuable to us? I don’t think it should.
But what it might do is change the purpose for which you use the crystal.

We attribute different properties to different crystals, but I think all of us are initially attracted to the look of them first and foremost. We might like the shape, the colour, the shape in which they are carved etc. And it’s a decent reason to get a crystal…
If you like the way a crystal looks, then the joy you get out of just looking at them is magickal in itself. Some people fill their homes with paintings, others with crystals.

When the shape gets damaged, it’s important to first and foremost keep in mind that at a basic level this crystal is still the same crystal, just in a different shape. You might not use it as a show piece, but it could motivate you to re-purpose it.

The first thing you could consider doing is keeping them for mediation or the nice, warm energy that it gives off. Think of it as going a step ‘deeper’ with this crystal, where, the looks perhaps not being there anymore could push you to look beyond that and finding the beauty in the way it makes you feel. Like mentioned before, it could still be used for mediation.

If that’s not working out, then no worries, there’s still other things to explore. Some people believe that once a crystal breaks, that means that it has sort of served its time at what it was being used for and you could ‘pass it on’. That could mean giving part of it to a friend if it breaks in half, sort of like a friendship necklace, but a crystal. Each of you have piece and together it makes a one.

Another thing that is quite common is burying it in a garden, giving the crystal back to Mother Earth almost. And why not - if it has helped you, why can’t it help a plant or a tree. Some people play music to their plants, you could give them crystals.
There’s even people that take this approach a step further and throw them away - literally, either in a forest, or in the Ocean. That’s not something I would do, as I like keeping them close and knowing where they are, but if it feels right, that’s an option. Both of these are almost like giving offerings to Nature, if the good intent is there.

Then there’s also polishing them into tumbles, assuming that the crystal has broken into many smaller pieces as well as getting the damage just polished out (if it’s a chipped tower, let’s say). And why not - it was already polished once to attain a certain shape, so why shouldn’t you be able to polish the crystal again. This might be a more tricky process that requires the right tools, but tumbling the smaller pieces can be interesting - small tumbling machines are quite accessible and would be a fun way to repurpose your crystal.

There’s lots of options and things that can be done, but as always - it’s important to listen to your inner voice to figure out what feels right in your situation. A large part of what we love about crystals are properties that we attribute to them ourselves, and that magickal fact can make the special energy or aura of a crystal indestructible, even if the shape changes.

And that’s the best tip I can give - think of it not as if the crystal is broken, but as if it has changed :)

All the best,
Karlis