I use them myself when I feel the need to have
a "booster shot" in certain areas. I also use them
just to use them, as they can bring a softness
and calming when things seem intense. The old
idea of wearing matching jewelry does not seem to
work anymore. Wearing what feels right works though!

The Chakras are stations along the center of your being. Each one is a point at which energy can be expressed in a certain set of actions, attitudes and emotions. The Chakras are a map of the soul which you must move along for healing to happen. These points represent our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual growth. When these points are healthy and in balance, then we are the equivalent of our soul pattern.

So, how many do we have?  There is a debate on this, but
the basic ones worked with are:

This page is to open an awareness to alternative healing. 
There is SO much information on this through teachers, books, 
even here on the web.
I have included some sites I think informative.

I do have some really favorite crystals that I like to work with
and have recommended to others, those I have listed too.

I have also found that when a stone has finished it's job, it seems to get lost, or you have urge to pass it on to another.
Sometimes they return in different form, but should you get heart felt urge to pass it on another, I would suggest you follow it.
As once you pass it along, it seems that the next stone appears very quickly.

The size and cost does not have to break the pocketbook, even
the smallest piece of a crystal, stone, or gem, has the vibration of the largest. The energy sent in by Universe works just as
well with a chip as it does with a boulder.