I don't know much about crystals so I figured I would look into this book. It gives a lot of in-depth details about the different color of crystals to start and then dives deeper into the topic. A lot of information for those who are very interested in the topic. For me however I like crystals but there seemed to be way more info then what peaks my interest.

An interesting book on a subject I knew little about. I'm a skeptic, but when Cockram mentioned that we know crystals hold and emit energy and that's why we use quartz in watches/clocks, it opened my eyes (and mind) a bit. Great photographs of brilliantly-colored stones and gems!

Crystals Your Personal Guide (In Focus) by Bernice Cockram is a beginner’s guide on healing crystals. Everything you need to know about them is included. Cockram’s explanations and descriptions are easy to understand so the reader will not be overwhelmed by the content. Cockram included information about crystals that I haven’t always seen in beginner’s guides such as the Moh’s Scale of Hardness, tips on how to create crystal healing nets for yourself and others, crystal divination using Astrology and Chinese Magic Squares, and Numerology. These were all nice touches that anyone can incorporate after reading this book. I applaud Cockram for explaining the different types of sacred geometrical patterns for crystal grids such as when you would use a flower of life grid versus a vesica pisces grid. I have not come across this type of information in a crystal book before so I thoroughly appreciated that section. The same goes for the different types of crystal systems that were also explained. Once again, most crystal books neglect to include this information so I was pleasantly surprised to read about this. My only complaint is that the author should have listed crystals that are safe and unsafe for making gem elixirs because a beginner would not necessarily know this. Since Cockram described the steps in making a gem elixir, a short list of safe and toxic crystals would have been a big help. The illustrations throughout were effective and the images of the crystals were crisp and clear. Overall a very informative and quick guide on crystals that I will surely be adding to my collection.

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This book is a great place to start with crystals but not the one I would recommend. In Focus Crystals is more of a general overview look at the practices. Many areas could have been more depth as I didn't feel comfortable with the subjects. It covers certain areas that other book don't but also misses some areas I would have been interested in. But I did love the full-color pictures of the crystals and their attributes. That in itself makes a handy little book for newbies.

Colours, shapes, types of stones, how to clean it, shapes, how to use it, Chakras, aura and a link between astrology and crystals. You can find everything in this books. If I need a single word to describe it, it definitely would be - oh, well, I don't have an english word for it that would sound as good as I want, but let's say <i>it has everything</i>. I think it would be good even for those how knows a little about crystals (which I totally wasn't). I know I'm going to read it again until I get everything it teaches me.
If I need a rating, it would be 4/5, but I don't like the idea of rating a non-fiction book. Which is actually funny, bc I don't ever read non-fiction. But this - and a few others - really picked my interest.
On a side note, the absence of a kindle edition really annoyed me, since I had to read it on my laptop, instead of my kindle


<b><i>♥I got a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my most honest uninfluenced review♥</i></b>

This book doesn’t get bogged down with lengthy geologic discussions as soon crystal books do and although it does have a section that groups crystals by color, it is not an identification guide. Rather this book explains how to use crystals to your best benefit, how to properly care for crystals, how to create nets and dowse using crystals. I think this is a great book for anyone interested in crystals – whether they are new to crystals or have been using them for some time. Crystals are a powerful energy source and can be very helpful in healing and grounding, but there is so much more than just looking up what crystal will help with what ailment, going to the store and purchasing a piece of jewelry with that crystal and this book explains how to best utilize the properties of crystals to get the most out of the benefits they offer.