Crystal gifts under £20 that don’t look cheap

You can buy a lovely crystal gift for under £20. You can also spend £20 on something that looks like it cost £3.

The difference isn't necessarily the stone. It's usually the size, the shape and how the whole thing looks when it's sitting in someone's hand or on their shelf.

If you're buying for someone else, there's another problem: you might know roughly what they like, but not enough to choose a very specific crystal with confidence. You don't want to give a serious collector their fifth rose quartz tumble stone. And you probably don't want to give someone who's never owned a crystal a complicated mineral specimen that needs a small instruction manual.

So we've put together the crystals we'd actually choose at different price points. Everything below is from our own range and, at the time of writing, is available at the prices shown.

What makes a crystal look more expensive than it is?

At this price, size and shape matter more than rarity.

A small but unusual piece can look far better than a more expensive stone that's been cut into a tiny sphere. Height helps too. So does anything with lots going on visually: an amethyst cluster, a geode, a little gemstone tree.

These are the shapes we'd look at first.

Selenite tower, £6 to £11

Selenite is an unusually easy crystal to give as a present.

It's white, catches the light and has those natural lines running through it. Put it into a tower and it starts to look more like an object for the home than a piece of rock.

The 10 cm natural tower is £6. The 15 cm pencil point is £11, and if your budget allows it, we'd go for the taller one. That extra few centimetres makes it feel much more substantial.

Selenite does have one slightly annoying characteristic: it doesn't like water. It's a soft mineral and can be damaged by getting wet, so it's worth mentioning that when you give it. We've got a longer explanation of what water, salt and sunlight actually do to crystals.

The 10 cm tower is a particularly good choice for a new home, office or desk. It also works for someone who likes crystals but doesn't necessarily want their house to look like a crystal shop.

Amethyst gemstone tree, £7

This is one of those gifts where the price doesn't really show.

The tree has 35 amethyst chips wired onto a piece of natural agate. Because the bases are natural stone, they're all slightly different.

There's a lot of visual interest in a small space, which is exactly what you want from a £7 present.

It's also a good introduction to crystals. You don't need to know what amethyst is supposed to do, or believe anything in particular about crystals, to think that a little gemstone tree looks nice on a windowsill.

And, unlike a real tree, you can't kill it.

Sphere pendulum, £7.75

A pendulum is a good option when you want something that feels a little less predictable.

It has a purpose as well as looking nice, which makes it feel more like a proper gift than simply another stone. The sphere pendulums hang from chains of around 17 cm, and we particularly like the amethyst version.

They're a good choice for anyone interested in tarot, dowsing or the more practical side of crystal collecting.

They're also useful if you're buying for someone who already owns a lot of crystals. Chances are they have plenty of stones. They may not have a pendulum.

Geodes and clusters are difficult to get wrong

If you're not sure what to buy, we'd seriously consider a geode or a bag of raw amethyst points.

There's something immediately interesting about a natural crystal cluster. You can see how it grew rather than just seeing the finished, polished version.

Natural calcite geode, £9.25

A geode is essentially a hollow piece of rock with crystals growing inside it. That simple fact makes them surprisingly good gifts.

Our natural calcite geodes are around 8 to 9 cm and come from Morocco. They have calcite and selenite crystals inside, so there's plenty to look at when you open one up.

You'll also come across coloured geodes that are much brighter than anything you'd expect to find naturally. Some of these have been painted. That's perfectly fine if you're buying something decorative, but we'd rather people know what they're buying.

For someone interested in geology, a natural geode is an especially nice present because it gives them something to look at and something to talk about.

Raw amethyst points, £18

The Raw Amethyst Points, 500g bag (£18) gives you half a kilo of rough amethyst points, uncut and unpolished as they come out of the ground. Each point has its natural six-sided termination, with colours ranging from pale lilac to deep violet, and some bases still have their matrix rock attached.

In crystal practice, amethyst is associated with calm and spiritual clarity. Every bag is different, and the natural variations in colour, shape and attached rock are part of what makes each one its own, not a defect.

Gemstone dome garden, £19.19

If you've got almost the full £20 to spend, this is the one we'd show first.

The Pyrite Gemstone Tree in Glass Dome (£19.19) has thirty pyrite chips wired by hand onto a small tree, set on an acacia wood base and sealed under a glass dome. Pyrite is often called fool's gold, and its hard metallic shine is the whole point, while the dome helps it keep its colour.

The dome is what makes it work as a gift. Without it, you've got a small gemstone tree. With it, you've got something that looks like a finished decorative piece.

It also has the practical advantage of keeping the dust off.

At £19.19, it's about as close as you can get to spending £20 without the gift looking like you simply spent £20.

Jewellery is your friend when the budget is small

There's a reason jewellery works so well at £5 to £10: nobody expects a necklace to be enormous.

Tree of Life pendant, £5

A real gemstone wrapped in wire to make the branches of a Tree of Life, on a suede cord.

We'd choose rose quartz for a gift because it's easy to give without knowing too much about the recipient. It has the traditional associations with love and kindness, but it also happens to be a pretty, pale pink stone.

At £5, it's also an easy one to add to another present.

Selenite heart pendant, £4.99

This is a simple one, and sometimes simple is exactly right.

The Selenite Heart Pendant (£4.99) is carved from Moroccan selenite, measuring 4cm across and drilled to hang as a pendant. Its milky white, translucent surface has a soft satin glow, almost like moonstone or frosted glass against the skin, and at 10g it's light enough to forget you're wearing it.

In crystal practice, selenite is associated with cleansing and calm. It's a lovely little heart to give someone who enjoys the softer side of crystals.

You could give it to a partner, a best friend or someone you simply want to thank.

Laced gemstone pendants, from £7.50

The Laced Gemstone Flat Point Pendant in Amethyst (£7.50) is a flat amethyst point bound in a net of lace, nylon and cotton rather than capped or drilled. Nothing metal touches the stone, and the flat cut lets it sit against your chest rather than swing about.

It hangs on an adjustable string, so you can alter the fit. The whole stone stays visible, making the natural colour and shape the focus.

Other laced pendants are £9.49, including flat points in amazonite, golden quartz and red jasper, plus hexagons in lepidolite, moss agate, white howlite and yellow quartz.

If you want the meaning to matter

Some people choose crystals because they like the way they look.

Other people want a stone that means something.

We think both are perfectly reasonable. Crystal traditions can be a nice way of choosing a present, as long as they're treated as traditions rather than promises. Crystals aren't a replacement for medical treatment or professional help, and we don't claim that they can cure anything.

But if someone likes the symbolism, it can make a gift feel more personal.

The Black Tourmaline Six Face Obelisk (£17.99) stands 11cm tall, with a matte deep black finish and faint striations, while the Labradorite Sphere Pendulum (£12.49) has a small polished ball of grey stone that flashes blue, green and gold as it turns. The labradorite hangs from a silver-plated chain measuring about 170mm.

The Pyrite Gemstone Tree in Glass Dome (£19.19) is a thoughtful choice for someone starting a new job, as pyrite is traditionally associated with abundance, prosperity, confidence and protection. Often called fool's gold, its metallic shine makes this little tree a distinctive gift.

What should you buy for…?

Sometimes knowing the person is more useful than knowing anything about crystals.

Someone completely new to crystals

Don't start with something obscure.

Amethyst, rose quartz and selenite are familiar, attractive and available in plenty of affordable shapes.

The 10 cm selenite tower at £6 is a good starting point because it feels like a proper object rather than a tiny sample of stone.

If they get interested and want to know what to buy next, we've got a guide to five crystals worth owning first.

A crystal collector

Don't buy them another random tumble stone.

They probably have enough of those.

Look for an unusual shape instead. The Calcite Geode Carved Skull (£15.50) offers something a little different. Carved from a natural calcite geode, it's around 4.5cm tall and weighs 115g, with banding and pockets of crystal running through the skull, so a cheek might open into a glittering cavity and no two are alike.

A man

Crystal gifts for men don't need to be “masculine” in any particular way. But if you know he'd prefer something darker and less decorative, black tourmaline is an easy choice.

The 11 cm black tourmaline obelisk is polished to a deep black and costs £17.99. It looks at home on a desk or bookshelf and doesn't need much explanation.

We've got more ideas in our guide to spiritual gifts for him.

A teenager

Go for personality.

Try the Amethyst Planet on a Goldstone Stand (£15). It features Jupiter as a 40mm amethyst sphere on a small goldstone stand, part of a set of gemstone planets, with Jupiter associated in astrology with wisdom and knowledge and amethyst linked to clear thinking in crystal practice. It's more fun than another purple crystal.

If they're into jewellery, a Tree of Life pendant or a laced gemstone pendant is another easy option.

A colleague or Secret Santa

Keep it neutral.

The £8 selenite charging plate is 8 cm across and has a mandala design. Someone who likes crystals can use it for their stones; someone who doesn't can use it for jewellery or small bits and pieces.

That makes it a safer office present than something with a very specific spiritual meaning.

Someone who's moved house

Black tourmaline is traditionally associated with protection and is often placed near entrances.

That makes the Black Tourmaline Six Face Obelisk (£17.99) a good housewarming choice. At 11cm tall, it's desk-sized and polished to a finish closer to graphite than glass.

Someone having a difficult time

Keep this one simple.

The Small Selenite Heart (£7.85) measures 7 to 8cm across and weighs 20g, cut from Moroccan selenite and polished to show bands that catch the light. It fits in a palm, a coat pocket or a small dish, and glows when you hold it to a lamp.

Sometimes “I saw this and thought of you” is enough.

A birthday

You don't have to choose a birthstone.

The modern birthstone list was standardised by the American jewellery trade in 1912, so the idea that there's one ancient, definitive list isn't quite true. We've written more about that in our piece on zodiac crystals.

If you know their favourite colour, we'd probably start there.

If they're born in February, however, you're in luck: amethyst is the February birthstone and there are plenty of good options below £20. The £5 Tree of Life pendant is an easy one.

What we'd avoid

The main thing we'd avoid is trying to make a very small object carry a £20 budget.

A single tiny tumble stone can be beautiful, but as the entire gift it can feel a little lost.

Small spheres and larger carved shapes can have the same problem. You can get them under £20, but sometimes they're smaller than you'd expect from the photograph.

Small crystals work much better as part of something else.

A £4.99 selenite heart pendant tucked inside a card or added to another present is a lovely little surprise. It just doesn't need to pretend to be a £20 gift.

Three combinations we'd put together

If you're stuck between two things, don't necessarily choose one. Combining smaller pieces can make a much more thoughtful present.

Selenite tower + amethyst tree, £13

The 10 cm selenite tower is £6 and the amethyst gemstone tree is £7.

They work together visually and there's a traditional reason for pairing them too: selenite is often used to rest other crystals on.

Charging plate + calcite heart, £15.99

The mandala charging plate (£8) gives the small calcite heart (£7.99) somewhere to sit.

It sounds like a small thing, but giving a stone its own place makes the whole gift feel more complete.

Amethyst tree + amethyst pendant, £12

The gemstone tree (£7) and amethyst Tree of Life pendant (£5) are made from the same stone.

One goes on the shelf. One goes round their neck.

For £12, that's a surprisingly decent-looking gift.

How to make a £20 gift feel like a £30 one

The wrapping matters more than people think.

Give it somewhere to live. Our carved sun-and-moon mango-wood box costs £12. Put a couple of smaller stones inside and the box becomes part of the present rather than something they'll throw away.

Wrap crystals properly. They're heavy, and some have edges and points. A layer of tissue paper before the wrapping paper stops the parcel from feeling like you've put a rock in a box and hoped for the best.

Tell them what the stone is. “Natural calcite geode from Morocco” is much more interesting than “crystal”.

Write your own reason for choosing it. This is probably the most important one. You don't need to tell someone that their crystal will transform their life. Write something that actually relates to them.

“Thought you might like this for the new house.”

“Picked this because you said you needed something for your desk.”

“Because you've had a rough few months.”

That's what turns a £7 crystal into a thoughtful gift.

A quick note about looking after crystals

Most crystals are happy with a little dusting from a soft, dry cloth.

Selenite needs to stay away from water because it is a relatively soft mineral and can be damaged when wet.

Amethyst is better kept away from strong, direct sunlight for long periods, as its colour can fade over time.

If the person you're buying for already likes using selenite to rest their crystals on, a plain 15 cm selenite charging bar is £6.90 and makes a useful extra.

Your questions, answered

Are cheap crystals real?

Some are. Some aren't.

There are genuine crystals available for a few pounds, particularly smaller pieces. But there are also imitations, and amethyst is among the gemstones that can be imitated with glass. The GIA's guide to gem imitations is a good general reference.

Natural crystals also vary. Colour, markings, cloudiness and shape won't necessarily be identical from one piece to another.

We describe our stones according to what they actually are, including when a geode has been painted. If you're trying to work out what you've bought, our guide to five tests you can do at home is a useful starting point.

What's the best crystal for someone who's never owned one?

Amethyst, rose quartz or selenite.

They're recognisable, affordable and easy to find in attractive shapes.

If you're really unsure, we'd choose the amethyst gemstone tree. It looks good, it's obviously a natural stone and it doesn't require much explanation.

Should I cleanse a crystal before giving it?

If the recipient is already into crystals, we'd leave that to them. They'll probably have their own preferred method.

If they're not, just give it a wipe with a soft cloth.

And please don't put selenite in water.

What if they don't believe in crystals?

Then buy them a nice rock.

Seriously.

A geode, amethyst cluster or selenite tower can be a good-looking object without any belief attached to it. Plenty of people like crystals simply because they're interesting pieces of natural history.

You don't have to believe a crystal can do anything to enjoy owning one.

Are crystals safe around children and pets?

Small stones and crystal chips can be choking hazards for young children. Elastic bracelets can also snap, so they're better kept away from very young children.

Selenite is particularly soft, so keep it away from mouths and paws.

And if your dog has a habit of stealing things from low shelves, don't assume the crystal will be the exception.

If you're buying for a particular person, have a look at our guides to spiritual gifts for her and spiritual gifts for him. They cover different budgets as well as different people.