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Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic
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Customer Reviews
Rating:  - Oh my
This is not a book you want in your collection. The author seems to present his material in a one sided one track manner that sort of feels like fingernails across a chalkboard when reading it. I read the other reviews and can agree with whoever wrote in saying that Cunningham actualy does claim that polished stones are more powerfull than those in their natural state. If thats not enough information for you not to buy this book then I dont know what is.
Rating: - HUH
The author gives a wiccan explaination of the use of stones and claims that stones which are polished are more powerfull than those in the rough. DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY
Rating: - could be alot better
Another scott cunningham typical book. The author attempts to create a book about crystal and metal practice but it is a very fluffy bunny wiccan format, usual for him. The author explains overbaringly so about ethics and morality and gives rules on how one is "allowed" to use stones. The author also claims that in certain configurations like a necklace stones are more powerfull than seperate peices. He further explains that polished stoned are more powerfull than stones in the rough, IS HE SERIOUS? I would tend to believe that using a stone in its natural state is far better than a man tumbled and polished stone. Anyways if your looking for a good book on stones read LOVE IS IN THE EARTH by MELODY. Its a far better work. Also if I might add, its a good idea to just stay clear of scott cunningham books all together.
Rating:  - Ok for the basics, but it shouldn't be your only book
Overall, this is a good book. It's more user friendly then most "non-Wiccan" reference books, and the information is accurate, thoughtful, and informative. It's a good little book to carry with you when you go stone shopping, because it's large enough to have the basics, but not so large that it's cumbersome. However, the book does have some very basic flaws...
For example, in the new and updated version, there's a color insert of pictures of stones... It's not helpful, and if anything, it just makes things confusing. For example, they show a picture of a "rough" Labradorite. Who is going to see a rough Labradorite and know what it is? They do the same with several other stones, turning them from easily recognizable, to a stone that you can't differentiate from a rock at a playground. There also is no description of the stones. It is just assumed you know what they are. Also, if you are a basic collector and you want to know what quartz is, you're OK. If you've moved on to collect other exotic and unique stones, you find yourself more often then not putting the book aside in frustration because the cool stone you just bought isn't mentioned.
This a good book for beginners, but for those who are going to be practicing metal or gem magick, you will quickly outgrow it and want something a little more complete. Also, you should treat this book as you would any other "field guide." If you're looking for basic information, enough to get by, this book will be OK. If you're looking for in depth knowledge on a couple of stones, you're best finding another resource.
Rating: - Very disappointing
This entire book could be summarized by a simple table of correspondences between colors, planets, and spheres of influence that would fit on a small 3x5 card. All of the info in this book is merely based on the color of the stone or gem in nearly all cases. The same information can be gotten in a more concise form from the back pages of Starhawk's *The Spiral Dance*, which is overall a much better book on Witchcraft than Cunningham has ever written, in my opinion. There is so much more to gem and mineral lore than color and planetary correspondences however. Also recommended is Cat Yronwode's *Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic*. Also *Twelve Wild Swans* has an exercise for communing with plants for their magical uses that can be adapted to minerals. *Urban Shaman* by Serge King has good info too. Each stone has its own unique spirit, and the cookie cutter "book of lists" approach that Cunningham takes with this book just doesn't cut it for me. It may not cut it for other serious magic users and "urban shamans" either.
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