Jewellery to unblock your chakras

Whether it’s turquoise from a small family mine in the Arizona desert or citrine quartz from a tiny town in Brazil, Joseph Brooks handpicks his raw materials the way he once chose his records. The Hollywood-based former DJ and founder of the Vinyl Fetish record store was one of the first to introduce U2 and The Cure to the US and helped Guns N’ Roses get signed. “I only carried records I liked and played what I believed in,” he says. “If you’re authentic, people are drawn to that.” 

These days it’s not rock but his natural, untreated crystal and stone jewellery, worn by Diane von Furstenberg and Lenny Kravitz, creating good vibrations. Fans come for the “warm, golden energy of the sun” in citrine; the “super-powerful protective energy of dense black tourmalines”; and when they’re feeling “hectic”, for the “calming, grounding” effects of glacial aquamarine. “It’s gone crazy this year,” says Brooks, who has been a mineral obsessive since childhood. “People are looking for much larger pieces – I don’t do demure – and it’s all about healing and protection.”

The movement blending self-care, spirituality and a sense of connection to Earth and the universe is finding its expression in a spectrum of holistically inspired hippie-luxe “wearables”. The global wellness market is projected to grow to almost $7tn by 2025, and “across the consumer-product spectrum, purchases that support wellbeing or offer comfort are increasingly driving sales”, says Emily Gordon-Smith, content director and sustainability lead at trend analysts Stylus. “The market for jewellery is expected to grow to $480bn in 2025, and pieces with deep personal meaning will make up much of that growth – not just in items that we feel sentimental about, but ones that intrinsically make us feel better.”

In Britain, Shakti Ellenwood’s distinctive gold jewellery was conceived to “comfort the body as well as the heart”. It features precious stones with unusual inclusions that confer an ancient, earthy character and Ellenwood sings healing mantras as she works. Her intention? “To weave blessings into the bones of each piece.” (She also involves couples in that process for bespoke engagement and wedding rings.) In California, the horseshoe-magnet motif in former acupuncturist Sig Ward’s gold Manifest collection symbolically channels the outcomes we desire. 

The mood is not reserved, however, for “alternative” jewellers. Even Messika, one of the most high-octane red-carpet diamond dealers, has a Mystical suite. And Italian high-jeweller Pomellato is using smoky and milky-white quartz cabochon gemstones in its signature Nudo collection – the latter evoking an ethereal, swirling crystal ball. 

While the form of crystals in particular has long fascinated master goldsmiths such as Sean Gilson and art-jewel giants Otto Jakob, Etsuko Sonobe and Ara Vartanian (whose home in São Paulo is adorned with large-scale amethyst installations), the premise of “healing” is extending their reach. Whether you’re seeking mental clarity, stress relief, strength, self-worth or direction – there’s an accessory for that. 

Quartz attunes to your need in the moment

Dua Lipa favourite Ananya has added a new precious-metal, diamond and rock-crystal Icon collection to her repertoire of stonking beaded Chakra bracelets; Amy Russell Taylor’s crystal-triad Manifestation dials and spinning pendants, tailored “to support the intentions of the beholder”, come with a palo santo stick for cleansing; Lebanese designer Noor Fares channels “inner light” with moonstone, quartz and rock crystal. Plaudits, though, for Sophie Buhai’s silk-rope necklace with a canister for “carrying your Xanax, your vitamins or your crystals”. 

A number of designers, including Roxanne First, are being irreverent with the “good energy” (see her Starbound, Feeling Lucky and Vibes beaded necklaces), but there’s no denying it’s a serious business. Jia-Jia Zhu is a former buyer for Bergdorf Goodman and Saks who founded her unpolished crystal jewellery line in 2020 following a year of meditation and self-discovery in Bali: a gift of crystals with the same “mother” as Marina Abramović’s famous collection and specimens in the Smithsonian had her hooked. The eponymous brand, initially launched exclusively through Net-a-Porter, sold out of stock in the first week and became a $2mn business within a year. She has been astonished by the “scale of inventory” that her wholesale clients, from MatchesFashion to Browns, want to buy. 

“There’s been a collective shift in this generation,” says Zhu. “Self-care is extremely important. And people want to make mindful purchases, only bringing things into their lives that are meaningful and intentional. Quartz, for instance, is like a tool for different purposes – I feel like it attunes to your need in the moment.”

Some brands further down the food chain in terms of crystal quality (they are graded not unlike diamonds) swear by certain crystals’ effectiveness in healing heartbreak, boosting immune function or gut health – but the fine jewellery world makes it clear that they are no snake-oil substitute for medical advice. Nor is there any pressing need to “convert” anyone, says Amy Russell Taylor, who finds even the most sceptical people are “intuitively drawn to a particular crystal – and they can’t explain why”. 

“It’s about openness,” she says. “I started out reading about what you could call the woo-woo side of it, then learnt more and more about the philosophy, the physics and neuroscience… The energy we take in and give out defines our life, so tapping into it, finding ways to amplify it, has huge benefits. If putting something on your body even serves as a reminder of that, why wouldn’t you?”