Vagina Crystals: Are They The New Blood Diamonds?

Beeld door Isabelle Zumbrink

Vagina crystals, yoni pearls, love eggs… it’s a thing. Sometimes they’re used to increase libido or to strengthen orgasms. Others use vagina crystals to strengthen their pelvic floor, balance their menstrual cycles or to alleviate PCOS symptoms. Sounds like there could be no harm done there, right? However, these vagina crystals aren’t as innocent as they might seem. 

In case you have never heard of them before, a vagina crystal (which is the term that I will use throughout this article - but is essentially the same as a yoni pearl or a love egg) is a semi-precious stone (usually in the shape of an egg) that is meant to be put in your vagina for various reasons. Vagina crystals have been around for thousands of years. While the exact origin of vagina crystals are unknown, they are currently believed to  originate around 5000 years ago in ancient China. The OG vagina crystals were made of jade, a semi-precious stone that has been mined and worked in China since forever. In this day and age, vagina crystals are made of various different stones, including jade, (rose) quartz or obsidian. With Western celebs’ and American- or European-based webshops’ increase in attention for vagina crystals, more and more Western women started to use them. The barriers to “at least give it a try” slowly subsided once vagina crystals increased in popularity. Moreover, the fact that you can get a 3-pack of vagina crystals for less than €20,- makes it even easier to give it a go. And this is where the problem lies. Extensive online research hasn’t given me the answer to how much semi-precious stones like rose quartz, for example, should cost. But I honestly can’t believe that three (rather large) eggs can be mined and worked thousands of kilometers from where they’re sold, cost no more than €20,-, pay everyone involved a living wage and have the seller make enough profit to continue their business.

Booming business
Vagina crystals are a booming business. Where the majority of people were not interested in (or didn’t even know about) vagina crystals a few years ago, most people with a vagina have heard of them by now. I mean, I understand it sounds good in an age of what feels like a perpetual pandemic, being as close as ever to another World War and Earth Overshoot Day coming closer every year. Having the feeling of control over your sexuality, menstruation or whatever reason you choose to wear a vagina crystal. And all of that power in a small, beautiful looking stone! The only thing you have to do to benefit from all of that magic? Order a cute looking egg online, and you’re good to go! 

The ugly origins of your glamorous vagina crystal
A lot of semi-precious stones come from Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the world. While Madagascar trades gemstones primarily to the United States, Europe and China, most of Madagascar’s gemstones are believed to be traded illegally. It’s important to know that most mining happens by hand - the hands of people whose safety is not regulated and who get paid barely more than nothing. And who do you think gets sent in the narrowest mines to search for gemstones? That’s right, children. Children who  come up only when they start to have trouble breathing. As if one of the poorest populations in the world paying with their life and their health isn’t bad enough, this illegal mining destroys not only human lives, but wildlife, too. Areas that are officially protected are being used for illegal mining, thereby destroying the natural habitat of Madagascar’s wildlife. The question is: can this natural habitat be restored in time, or will the Western world’s craze for vagina crystals be the death of Madagascar’s wildlife as well? 

Taking care of your body with the right type of energy
Those who believe that vagina crystals are beneficial to their health or sexuality, grant these semi-precious stones with magical powers that come from Mother Earth. These crystals are believed to help positive energy flow into your body, while helping you release the negative energy that you might have stored inside. Part of it is believed to be placebo, part of it is believed to be due to a particular vibration and frequency arising from their molecular composition. 
Now imagine your vagina crystal (if you have one), or any other semi-precious stone that you may ever have bought, been gifted, or have seen. Imagine the tiny child’s hands, dusty and hurting, meters below the earth, trying to find that extraordinary stone that will maybe help them make them a few cents more that day. And imagine the old woman’s hands, working the stone so it looks perfect. No blemishes, no cracks, no sharp edges. Just the right shape, size and feel for you to put in your vagina comfortably, since that’s what the celebs are doing nowadays. Can you imagine the hurt that has gone into that set of vagina crystals arriving at your doorstep? Do you feel uneasy thinking about the pain and discomfort that has gone into mining and working those cute, pink eggs that everyone seems to be raving about? I know I do.
If we truly believe that our libido, orgasms and menstruation can be fixed by the energy we are provided with from an egg-shaped stone, that should be even more reason to stop using them. Because you can’t convince me that the hurt and abominable living (and dying) circumstances are a source of any positive energy that we feel we need to put into our bodies. I don’t believe that hours upon hours of polishing a rough rose quartz, until hands are bleeding and backs are breaking, will give us anything beneficial whatsoever. If anything, our vaginas will absorb that negative energy and pain rather than thrive under the so-called benefits we are made to believe these crystals would have. Besides, you shouldn’t put anything in your vagina period. She is perfectly capable of cleansing and taking care of herself, thank you very much. She sure as hell doesn’t need crystals absorbed in negativity to take care of her. If you ask me, vagina crystals are well on their way of becoming the new blood diamonds. We should know better.

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