Precious & semi-precious stones have enamoured people over the last 5 centuries like never before. Why only the last 300-500 years? Before the invasions into India, even a grihastha did enough sadhana to be able to manage &prevent elements of sorcery invading his home and workspace. Post invasions, the survival mode was activated in individuals &most energy spaces and consecrated idols were broken. When explicit enchantments became a problem, personal stones took over. Whether to heal or to curse, stones became the critical component of many kings, warriors & healers.
Firing up a stone is easier than firing up the human system. The former is reliable, stable &has no emotions. Some stones are more effective than others. The ones that let light through can be used differently and effective for curses & for dark magic. The dense ones with colour, work well for cleansing and maintenance. The dark, earthen ones are irreplaceable when it comes to protection spells. Everyone knows how famous hag stones were & still are.
All stones are made like children in the womb of the earth. They are formed, baked & nourished within the warmth of the earth. Once they are taken out, a good wiccan will charge them with the sun & a complete phase of the moon before giving them the command. Now here is where the difference between the human body & the stone comes to play. The charged stone can hold only a single command.
The duration of efficacy depends on 1. Denseness of stone 2. Inclusions 3. Skill of the tantric. The curse of the Kohinoor is still active & that is mainly on the aghori who charged it. Cutting, polishing and crossing of oceans did not dull the energy. Not yet.
There was a point in the 1600’s when the use of enchanted stones with herbs was so rampant, people would not sleep on a bed that had a stone placed on it or use rice that came home with a marked pebble. Angry workers then used one curb stone to cause accidents on highways, jewellers used cursed stones for jewels gifted to royalty & Tanjore paintings came with enchanted stones that could make or break your life. Skill levels for enchantment are at an all time low in this century