Crystals are a combination of various minerals, and some of the minerals in harder crystals will still get damaged if being left in water for long periods of time.
So, what crystals should not be put in water?
Any crystal that is a 5 or below on the Mohs harness scale should not be put in water. These crystals dissolve or crack if left in water for an extended amount of time. Some harder crystals should also be kept out of water. These include crystals that contain minerals that can rust or can release toxins in water.
What is the Mohs Hardness Scale?
The Mohs Hardness scale is a scale from 1-10 that tests the hardness of certain minerals by testing the resistance of those minerals. This is done by using two minerals together, and seeing which mineral either scratches the other causing damage, and which one sustains damage. The harder the mineral, the higher on the Mohs Hardness scale it is.
This scale is relevant when looking at crystals and their water tolerance because the softer the material, the more likely it is to be damaged by water. These are crystals that fall below 5 on the Mohs scale, and the closer to 0 they are, the more sensitive to water they usually are.
Hard Crystals that are Safe in Water:
Clear Quartz
Amethyst
Smoky Quartz
Rose Quartz
Citrine
Snow Quartz
Agate
Aventurine
Jasper
Tiger’s Eye
Stones that cannot be washed with water:
1. Fluorite
2. Black Tourmaline
3. Aquamarine
4.Turquoise
5. Pyrite
6. Ruby
7. Moonstone
8. Lapis Lazuli
9. Flourite
10. Amazonite
11. Desert Rose (I just found this out and I’m glad I did because I have one!)
12. Gypsum
13. Talc (just don’t do it)
14. Calcite
15. Angelite
16. Malachite (Really soft, massively toxic in water, even touching the water it’s in is dangerous itself!)
17. Any crystal containing Copper!
18. Selenite
19. Celestine
20. Amber
21. Imperial Topaz
22. Red Coral
23. Fire Opal
24.Moonstone
25.Opal
26. Azurite
27. Kyanite
28. Kunzite
29. Pyrite
30. Lepidolite
31. Jasper
32. Chrysocolla
33. Hematite