Healing crystals have long been a fixture in the spiritual and celebrity worlds – with Adele using them to ward off stage fright and Nicole Richie wearing a clear quartz around her neck for protection.
But the New York City mayor, Eric Adams, believes that they have even more power than that: he professed in a recent interview that he believes there is a “special energy” that comes from the city he presides over, citing its location on a store of rare gems and stones.
As the New York area news website Hell Gate has deftly pointed out, Adams may be the first “crystal guy” of politics. He regularly wears “energy stone bracelets” featuring an array of powerful crystals. And when he proclaimed a “vibe shift” is upon New York City, he wasn’t just talking about the return of low-rise jeans.
The mayor is right about one thing, says Andrew Pacholyk, a New York-based crystal expert: the city, indeed, is seated on unique bedrock that has been known to produce more than 100 varieties of mineral. Called the Manhattan schist, it was formed about 450m years ago in a collision between what is now the east coast of North America and the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.
So what effect might crystals be having on the lives of New Yorkers? Pacholyk is vague on specifics but believes that certain areas in Manhattan do have a “special energy” owing to the unique mix of minerals found there – including quartz, kyanite, and dumortierite. He says it can be felt more strongly in natural areas with exposed rock, like Central Park.
Adams, who shockingly declined to comment for this piece, appears to wear several varieties of quartz himself. Pacholyk analyzed a photo of Adams at a December 2021 event and found the bracelets the mayor wears feature at least a dozen varieties of crystals including amethyst, rose quartz, lapis lazuli, citrine, and aventurine.
They hold properties that would be helpful for any leader, Pacholyk said: aventurine “helps to stable financial matters, especially when times are tough”, amethyst “provides common sense and flexibility in decision”, and citrine is a “versatile” protecting stone that “dissolves negative energy”.
Adams’ interest in crystals is in line with rising trends, as the industry has boomed in recent years, said Isabelle Corvin, a credentialed jeweler with the American Gem Society who works in a jewelry store in Washington.
“It always ebbs and flows, but during the pandemic more people had time to research and embrace the metaphysical,” Corvin said. “I think we were all looking for something bigger than ourselves to help us get through what was going on.”
Michael Brant Shermer, an author and executive director of the Skeptics Society, says there is not a shred of scientific evidence to show crystals have a measurable effect on humans or cities like New York. Still, he says, while Adams may be the first high-profile candidate to publicly declare a love of crystals, the metaphysical has found its way into politics in the past.
When the spiritual speaker Marianne Williamson ran for president in 2020, she claimed “the power of the mind” had helped turn Hurricane Dorian away from the US. Nancy Reagan let her astrologer dictate her husband’s travel schedule based on the stars.
Shermer says as long as Adams does not let his personal beliefs color his policies, the interest in crystals is harmless.
“Adams shouldn’t think, ‘What should we do about gun violence? Let me consult my crystals,’” he says. “That is a hard enough problem as it is using all the best science we have. Let’s not compound it with crystals. But I think of it the same way that I think of it in other areas of life: if it’s for entertainment purposes only, it’s fine.”
The crystals found under New York City
Quartz
“Quartz is known as the ‘master healer’ of stones,” Pacholyk says. “Our own body has quartz in it as a mineral, so it is believed we resonate to its properties vibrationally and magnetically. If you are open to it, you can feel it.”
Dumortierite
Dumortierite is the stone of “tolerance and tranquility”,” Pacholyk says, promoting “self-discipline, cleanliness, courage, trust, accomplishment, harmony, positive attitude, patience and tolerance”.
“It highly reduces disorganization, scattered thinking and distractions, and helps make troublesome, daily tasks more tolerable,” he adds.
Black and blue kyanite
Black kyanite is known for its grounding properties, while the blue version is about strengthening creativity and the relationship to the metaphysical. The mix, Pacholyk says, reflects “the dualities of the city”. “Black kyanite very much represents drive and vision, while blue kyanite is more spiritual and otherworldly,” he says. “People flock to New York to find their tribe and purpose, and to follow their dreams. That’s why people are drawn to this place.”
