A selenite wand is a length of gypsum, cut and polished either round or square. A tower is the same material stood upright with a flat base. The difference is orientation and intent: one is meant to be held, the other to stand.
Wand, stick, tower
The words are used loosely and inconsistently across the trade, which is why searching for one turns up the others. Broadly: a wand is shaped to be held, often tapered or rounded at one end. A stick is a plain cut length, usually square in section and unshaped. A tower has a flat cut base so it stands, and is usually taller.
No supplier follows this strictly. Judge by the photograph rather than the noun.
Handle it like chalk, because it nearly is
Selenite is 2 on the Mohs scale. Your fingernail is about 2.5, which means you can scratch it by accident just picking it up carelessly. It also cleaves — it splits along flat planes — so a knock on the end of a wand can take a sheet off rather than chipping a corner.
And never wash it. Gypsum dissolves in water; a rinsed selenite wand goes chalky and stays that way. Dry cloth only.
How they are used
In practice, three ways. Held while sitting, as a focus object with some weight to it. Laid across or around other stones as part of a grid. Or simply stood somewhere as an object, which is what most towers end up doing and is a perfectly honest use — selenite catches light in a way few stones do, and that is most of the appeal.
What to look for
Selenite is cheap enough that quality is worth being picky about. Look for even translucency and no cracks running across the grain. The fine parallel lines through the stone are natural striations and are meant to be there. Cloudiness in patches usually means the piece has already met moisture.
Check the base of a tower is genuinely flat. A tower that will not stand straight is a frustrating object, and you cannot sand much off without dulling the surface.
Selenite bowls & plates → · Crystal wands → · Selenite lamps →