Some New Age advocates claim that carved crystals, quartz, for example, have inherent powers beyond what you would expect from an ordinary stone. The crystals are often sold in jewelry mountings. Possession of a crystal will allegedly make the owner feel better, think more clearly, stay calmer, make better decisions and more money.

But what evidence is there for crystal power? Perhaps believing in the crystal gives the crystal power. But that would make it a mere "good luck charm." Crystal merchants often offer their wares at fine jewelry-sized prices. Why pay money for the imaginary powers of a decorative stone?

Or one might say crystals have vibrational power, as evidenced in their use in watches. Crystals are used between electrical contacts to maintain a consistent beat or rhythm, useful in counting seconds. But they can be put to this use only by heavy duty industrial processing. The New Agers are not using processed industrial crystals. They are only using ones that are cut and polished from their raw field form. In this form, they are as inert as any other stone. Any "vibration" from them would be imaginary or from source other than the crystal, such as the body of the holder.

There is no theory or evidence to support the notion that mineral crystals, beautiful and useful though they may be, exert any unusual powers.