⚠ Handle With Care
Most crystals are perfectly safe to handle. A few contain toxic elements, are radioactive, shed harmful fibres or dust, or dissolve in water. This page lists the well-documented ones, how risky each is, and how to keep and display them safely.
Golden rules
Wash your hands after handling. Don't lick specimens or put them in your mouth. Never cut, sand or grind hazardous stones. Keep them out of reach of children and pets.
No crystal elixirs
Many stones release toxic elements or dissolve in water. Never make drinking water or elixirs with anything on this page. If you use elixirs, use the indirect method (stone in a sealed glass vessel).
Radioactive storage
Keep radioactive specimens in a closed, labelled box in a ventilated area away from bedrooms. Some give off radon or crumble into dust.
Severity
High needs real precautions. Moderate is a concern mainly as dust or if swallowed. Low means ordinary handling is fine, with simple care.
☢ Radioactive
Arsenic minerals
Mercury
Lead minerals
Asbestos & fibrous minerals
Thallium & antimony
Copper & soluble salts
Other cautions
Polished tiger's eye and nephrite jade are safe: their fibres are locked in quartz or dense jade. Uranium glass is man-made and also appears in UV Reactive. This is general safety information, not medical advice. Each stone's page links its sources.