Unique HomeGoods Find

CCC

 

I was in my Venice HomeGoods yesterday and spotted this gorgeous green stone carved nautilus seashell. I had no idea what exactly it was.

As luck would have it, a gal who works there who knows me was nearby and I asked her about it. It turns out she is very into crystals, and it is green calcite. It is huge and very heavy - it's hard to lift! It must weigh about 15 pounds. It reminds me of sea glass.

I know absolutely nothing about crystals, but I know many people believe in their healing and restorative powers. I love watching HGTV and on "Christina on the Coast, " she is always using crystals in her homes and her clients' homes.

I bought this because I love seashells and think it is so beautiful, but it's fascinating to learn more about it.  

The use of crystals goes back thousands of years. The first historical documentation of crystals originated from the Ancient Sumerians (c. 4500 to c. 2000 BC). The Sumerians used crystals in their magical formulas. Ancient Egyptians mined for crystals and used them to make jewelry. Crystals or gemstones were also used in practice, for their metaphysical properties. Specifically, they used crystals as aids for health and protection.

Precious stones have been thought of as objects that can aid in healing—in a practice known as lapidary medicine—by a variety of cultures. The Hopi Native Americans of Arizona use quartz crystals to assist in diagnosing illnesses. Both Pliny the Elder and Galen claimed that certain crystals had medicinal properties. In Europe, the belief in the healing powers of crystals (and in particular crystal amulets) persisted into the Middle Ages. The alleged medicinal properties of precious stones, as well as other powers they were believed to hold, were collected in texts known as lapidaries, which remained popular in Medieval and Early Modern Europe until the 17th century. In the English speaking world, crystal healing is heavily associated with the New Age spiritual movement.

Worldwide, retail sales of crystals were estimated to amount to more than US$1 billion per year.

(Wikipedia)

Green calcite is found mostly in Brazil and Mexico and is associated with healing properties for the heart.

Do any of you know about crystals? It is certainly very beautiful and a unique find. I can't find anything like it online. It's amazing the things that turn up at my HomeGoods.