Ancient lapidary and modern crystal lore

The atlas distinguishes the layers: the ancient and medieval lapidary tradition, in which stones were set in rings and amulets under the right stars for medical and magical virtue; the birthstone custom, largely fixed by the modern jewellery trade; and the contemporary crystal-healing movement, which assigns stones to chakras and energies. Each is a distinct body of lore.

The atlas gives each stone its correspondences and its traditional virtues, noting which are ancient and which recent. The planets, signs, elements and chakras the stones are assigned to are treated in their own categories.