Gemstone tree — Yoga garden · Sukhasana pose · Amethyst · Leaning tree

A purple quartz whose shade runs from pale mauve to deep violet, often stronger at the tip of the crystal than at its base.

A tree assembled wire by wire, leaf after leaf, from natural stone chips; the branches are shaped and spread by hand.

What tradition attributes to it. The stone of temperance for the Greeks — its name means "not intoxicated" — it has been credited since antiquity with calming the mind and clearing judgment. Crystal healing associates it with the third eye chakra.

The motif. The easy pose, legs simply crossed, is the first seat taught in yoga.

What is in it. Yoga garden · Sukhasana pose · Amethyst · Leaning tree — the assembly and the spread of the chips are done by hand.

Use & care. The branches can be gently repositioned to the balance you want — that is intended, and it is what makes each tree end up resembling whoever set it. Dust with a soft brush or compressed air, never with a cloth, which catches on the wires.

• Its color comes from traces of iron in the quartz, revealed by the natural radioactivity of the surrounding rock.
• A natural piece: shade, veining and dimensions vary from one example to the next

A decorative object for personal practice. It is no substitute for medical advice or treatment.