Crystal magick

I have been collecting crystals for a while now. Just recently did I find out how useful they are. Crystals are naturally formed objects, each one with their own magickal property or properties. They can be used in many different ways, like using them to form the boundary of a circle, to help heal you, to soothe stress, to use in spells, rituals, etc. One of my favorite crystals is amethyst, if you hold it up to your head when you have a headache then it will cure yor headache. Just imagine the ache seeping into the crystal where it can't harm you. A lot of, if not most new age shops have large selections of crystals to chose from that are usually relatively cheap. Also, you might want to check out a list of gemstones and what magickal properties they posses before you go in and buy some. Here is a link to a website that lists them.
http://www.wiccasources.netfirms.com/magickal_properties_of_gemstones.htm
Also, keep in mind that after you get a new stone, that you should cleanse it because crystals pick up energy like a sponge and with all sorts of people who go in the store picking them up and looking at them, you never know what kind of energies they posses. Also you want to cleanse them so that they absorb your energy, that way they will be easier for YOU to work with. here is a link to a website that explains several methods of purifying gemstones.
http://www.amerindea.com/magic-cleanse.html
I prefere to place them in salt water and leave it in the sun.