Welcome back to our discussion of the different quartz crystal configurations. This week I was planning to just talk about Sheet crystals, but I have decided to add in two other types of flat crystals as well. So we're going to talk about Sheet, Tabby (or Tabular) and Shard quartz crystals. They are all thin, flat crystals, but they each have a little bit different characteristic which separates them. We'll start with Tabby or Tabular crystals because they are the most uniform and also the thickest of the three.

TABBY or TABULAR QUARTZ CRYSTALS

Tabby or Tabular crystals are just as the name implies. They are thin and flat like a tablet. To "qualify" as a textbook 'perfect' Tabby, the thickness must be no more than half the width. So if a crystal is 1 inch wide, it can only be 1/2 inch thick (or less) to qualify as a Tabby. Five inches wide can only be two and a half inches thick or less. The "or less" is important, because they don't have to be exactly a 2 to 1 ratio, they just have to be at least 2 to 1 (twice as wide as it is thick). They can always be thinner than that.

Here is an info graphic explaining the width to thickness ratio:

Tabby or Tabular crystals also sometimes come in cluster form like the one below. Although the one pictured doesn't, these type of tabby clusters often have Faden lines in them.

Tabby crystals are good helpers with communication. I remember this because they are shaped like a tablet. Large Tabby crystals are also wonderful in healing applications due to their wide, flat shape. When I was undergoing chemotherapy, I used a large, smooth tabby crystal to rub on my stomach when I was nauseated. It was the first time I used a crystal specifically to help with a physical symptom.

SHEET QUARTZ CRYSTALS

Sheet crystals are very thin, flat crystals. They differ from Tabbies in that they are much thinner, although I have never read about them having a specific ratio of thinness in order to qualify as a Sheet. However, they are thinner than a Tabby and are often self-healed. The sides are also heavily Lineated. Sheet crystals don't always appear to have six sides to them, and they aren't always self-healed on all sides. If there is an area that isn't self-healed, it will be on the thin edge (meaning if one of the wide edges is broken and not self healed, it would be a shard, which we discuss below.) If at least one of the broad flat sides is not either a side (which you can determine if it has Lineation) or self-healed, it doesn't qualify as a Sheet crystal. The sides of Sheet crystals are often layered and the edges tend to be irregular. Here is an example of the layered sides of a Sheet crystal:

Here's a group of Sheet crystals. Notice how thin they are and that the edges are irregular:

Here's a picture of a large Sheet crystal. It is determined to be a Sheet and not a Tabby because the edges are irregular and the sides are layered. If it had a more traditional top to the point and the sides were smooth and all six were easily identifiable, it would be a Tabby.

Here's a picture of the edges of a Sheet crystal. In this particular crystal, one of the edges is not self healed, and one IS self healed, (either way is fine for a Sheet crystal) and the sides are also layered and irregular.

To the left is a picture of a Sheet crystal with a natural Rainbow aura. Notice how thin it is, and the sides are layered and slightly irregular. In this particular crystal, the bottom side (not pictured) IS self healed. That makes it a Sheet. If it were simply broken and the bottom was raw, it would be a shard.

Sheet crystal may be used to scry if it is a large piece. They also have an expansive energy.

If you put two small Sheet crystals in your hand and hold them very loosely, if you clink them together gently(like you do when you prepare to roll dice) they make a ringing sound when clinked together. It isn't a super ringy sound, but if you do it with two non-Sheet crystals, you will be able to hear the difference. The Sheet crystals will make more of a "ting" sound, and the non-Sheet crystals will make a "click" or "clunk" sound.

And last but not least:

QUARTZ CRYSTAL SHARDS

Shards are just as the name implies. They are thin pieces of crystals, broken off a larger point, and have at least one side which is not Self Healed. Often, there will be one side that is intact, and you can tell approximately how big the original crystal was from which it came.

To the left is a picture of a crystal with a Shard missing to show you what I mean (the pictured crystal is not a Shard crystal. The missing piece which is drawn in, that would be the Shard crystal).

To the right is a picture of a Sheet crystal and a shard. The Sheet is on the top and the Shard is below it. See how the Sheet is self healed with irregular sides (which is why it is a Sheet and not a Tabby) and the shard is like a chip off a larger point.

If a shard crystal is thick (more than the 2 to 1 ratio of a Tabby, for example), then I would call it a "chunk" and not a shard.

Technically Shards (and Chunks) fall under the category of Empathic but I am including shards in this blog post because of their similarity in shape to Sheet crystals. Following is a group picture of Shards and perhaps chunks:

As always, I add the caveat that there is no hard and fast rule, and often a crystal may fit into more than one category. Determining what characteristic your crystal has can be a very fluid endeavor. It may fit into many definitions. It may be kind of like a Tabby, but also kind of like a Sheet. It may be thin, but just barely over the 2 to 1 ratio, but still have Tabby energy. It may have one side sheared off, making it technically a shard, but the other side is layered and sides are irregular and has the energy of a Sheet. There will be variations in all of these descriptive categories. The names and descriptions are simply there to give you a yardstick from which to measure what you are seeing.

IN SUMMARY

TABBY

1. more uniform in shape
2. must be at least twice as wide as it is thick
3. typically have a complete termination

SHEET

1. irregular in shape
2. very thin
3. may or may not have a complete termination

SHARD (or CHUNK)

1. irregular in shape
2. is a chip or shard off a larger point
3. technically falls under Empathic category

My hope in teaching these different names and defining characteristics is not so you will be more rigid or exacting, but that in knowing the definitions you will be able to be more flexible about where a crystal might fit within the traditional definition.

Next week we'll talk about Smoky crystals.

Here is a recap of the past posts featuring the metaphysical configurations and links to where you might find these various crystal configurations if you decided you might like to work with them:

TABBY or SHEET (Crystals with a flat shape) purchase TABBY crystal    purchase SHEET crystal   read blog post

SELF HEALED (Healing with Persistence and Determination)  purchase Self Healed Crystal     read blog post

RECORD KEEPERS (Messages From the Past/Access Hidden Knowledge)purchase Record Keeper Crystal     read blog post

RAINBOWS (Hope and Optimism) purchase Rainbow Crystal     read blog post

OTHER PHANTOMS: GAS PHANTOMS purchase Gas Phantom crystal  OVERCOAT/SNOW/REVERSE PHANTOMS purchase Overcoat crystal      read blog post

PHANTOM CRYSTALS (Access Past Lives, Embody Patience)  purchase Phantom crystal   read blog post

MANIFESTATION CRYSTAL (Assistance with Attaining Desires)  purchase Manifestation crystal   read blog post

LINEATED FACE CRYSTAL (To Reach Deeper Levels in Meditation) purchase Lineated Face crystal    read blog post

LINEATED SIDE CRYSTAL (To Access Deeper Understanding) purchase Lineated Side crystal    read blog post

LASER WAND (For Extremely Precise Energy Direction)  purchase Laser Wand   read blog post

ISIS FACE (Connect with Goddess Energy) purchase Isis Face crystal     read blog post

INCLUSIONS (Minerals Trapped Within Crystal During Growth) purchase Included crystal    read blog post

KEYS and IMPRINTS (Answers to questions and Adapt During Growth) purchase Key  purchase Imprint   read blog post

GROWTH INTERFERENCE (A Lesson in Adaptation) purchase GROWTH INTERFERENCE    read blog post

GOLDEN HEALERS (for healing applications) purchase GOLDEN HEALER   read blog post

GENERATOR or MERLIN CRYSTALS (For precise, direct, focused energy)  purchase GENERATOR or MERLIN   read blog post

FEMININE, MASCULINE & YIN/YANG CRYSTALS (An anatomy lesson) purchase FEMININE    purchase MASCULINE    purchase YIN/YANG      read blog post

FAIRY FROST & MIRROR FRACTURES (To connect us to Nature Spirits and to care for Mother Earth) purchase crystal with FAIRY FROST     read blog post

FADEN CRYSTALS (For astral travel or connecting) purchase FADEN crystal     read blog post

E.T. CRYSTALS (Access otherworldly beings or boost distant healing) purchase E.T. crystal     read blog post

ETCHED CRYSTALS and SACRED SIGILS (Surface features with special energies.) purchase ETCHED crystal  purchase SIGIL crystal    read blog post

EMPATHIC CRYSTALS (To bring out and amplify compassionate feelings.) purchase EMPATHIC crystal   read blog post

ELESTIAL or ELESTIATED CRYSTAL (To connect with angelic energies.) purchase ELESTIAL crystal   read blog post

EIGHT-SIDED FACE / GROUNDING CRYSTALS (Any time you need to refocus and ground.) purchase EIGHT-SIDED FACE or GROUNDING crystal   read blog post

DRUSY (To assist with ideas or thought forms ready to spring forth and grow such as thoughts or dreams, desires or wishes.) purchase DRUSY    read blog post

DOW or TRANS-CHANNELER CRYSTALS (For divine balance, and a connection with the self and Universal Truth.) Note: Dow crystals are rare, and I don’t always have very many of them. Sometimes the ones I have are Dow by count (7-3-7-3-7-3) but have one large 7-sided face (present as a Channeler) or two large 7-sided faces and one small 7 (present as a Transmitter). If you order one, I will let you know at time of purchase what I have available.  purchase DOW or TRANS-CHANNELER crystal     read blog post

DOUBLE TERMINATED CRYSTALS (Useful in any application in which you want the energy to flow in both directions) purchase DOUBLE TERMINATED crystal    read blog post

DOLPHIN CRYSTAL (To encourage teaching in a loving, fun, joyful way, or alternately, to assist one to enjoy learning) purchase Dolphin crystal   read blog post

CURVED CRYSTAL (To assist with flexibility “go with the flow” or to cleanse or brush your aura)  purchase CURVED crystal    read blog post

CLUSTER CRYSTAL (Raise the vibration in an environment or to assist with group dynamics)  purchase crystal CLUSTER    read blog post

CATHEDRAL or LIGHTBRARY CRYSTAL (Raise your vibrational frequency or access Akashic Records)  purchase CATHEDRAL or LIGHTBRARY crystal    read blog post

CHANNELER or CHANNELING CRYSTAL (To access higher wisdom, guides, other-world beings)  purchase CHANNELER crystal    read blog post

BRIDGE or INNER CHILD CRYSTAL (To help Bridge between worlds or help to access your innermost self)  purchase BRIDGE or purchase INNER CHILD    read blog post

BARNACLE QUARTZ CRYSTAL (Wise energy; ‘new souls’ attracted to ‘old soul’ energy)  purchase BARNACLE    read blog post

See you next week for Smoky crystals.