We are often asked about choosing crystal bowls so this seems a good topic to start off our new blog.
There are three types of crystal singing bowls – frosted, clear and practitioner. All are made from pure quartz. To some extent the choice is down to personal preference but there are several factors you may like to consider when choosing a bowl.
Choosing Frosted Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls
These are the most popular and probably the best known type of crystal bowl. The quartz is smooth on the inside and textured on the outside which gives them their frosted appearance. Larger bowls tend to have deeper notes and a longer resonance although any size of frosted crystal bowl will be very resonant.
These are the easiest bowls to play as the soft rubber bowl playing stick is very forgiving. Some people choose to play frosted bowls with suede-covered wooden sticks, but we feel these are more difficult to use and make a scraping noise as they go around the bowl.
If you want to have a frosted singing bowl that is easily portable we suggest that you choose a bowl 14 inches or less in diameter. Larger bowls can be very heavy and awkward to carry around.
We stock bowls from 10 inches to 18 inches in diameter (about 25 to 38 cm). We avoid 8 inch and smaller frosted bowls which we find are often disappointing compared to the larger ones.
Look at our current stock and order Frosted Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls. The prices include a rubber ring to hold the bowl steady and a rubber ball playing stick.
Choosing Clear Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls
These bowls are smaller than frosted bowls and are made from quartz tubing which is completely clear. We stock bowls from 130mm to 202mm in diameter (about 5 to 8 inches). Like frosted singing bowls they are placed on a rubber ring to make them easier to play using a hard rubber ball playing stick.
There is a knack to playing these bowls, similar to the method of playing metal Tibetan singing bowls, and they are not quite as simple to play as frosted bowls. The stick needs to be kept at an even pressure on the surface of the quartz to avoid clanging noises. After a bit of practice you will be able to play these well.
Most clear bowls play fairly high pitched notes although larger bowls, such as 180 or 202mm diameter, can play surprisingly deep notes. Some larger clear quartz bowls can play more than one note or sound. Some play two distinct notes according to where the playing stick is placed, while others sound as if they are playing a chord.
Clear singing bowls make a sound that is more direct than that of frosted bowls. Some people are attracted to this quality of sound while others prefer the gentler quality of sound produced by frosted bowls. This is where personal preference will guide your choice.
Look at our current stock and order Clear Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls. Prices include a rubber ring and a playing stick.
Choosing Practitioner Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls
Practitioner bowls are clear bowls fitted with a tubular handle. They can be moved around easily as you play them with the same kind of hard rubber playing stick that you use for clear crystal bowls. The quality of sound is exactly the same as clear crystal bowls. It is possible to put small crystals inside the handle if you wish. You will need a cork or something similar to hold these in place. We stock them in various sizes from 150mm to 180mm diameter (about 6 to 7.2 inches).
Look at our current stock and order Clear Quartz Crystal Practitioner Singing Bowls. Prices include a playing stick.