Call it strange or a freak of nature, but after Philippa Barton 'cleansed' three shelves of crystals and gemstones by playing a pair of Tibetan chimes over them, they shone, writes FIONA TARRANT.

I witnessed it happening. Me - the sceptical, mistrusting, conventional one - couldn't deny that each gemstone gleamed and literally took on a new light as she finished.

"Just look at them," said Philippa before she started playing the chimes.

I watched them light up and said so.

"I don't know how or why it happens, but it does," said the 33-year-old ceramicist, whose interest in crystals started as a child.

"My father kept Bonsai trees and there were always gemstones in the house. I started collecting fossils and stones when I was young and it's grown from there," said Philippa.

"Gemstones are great helpers. They produce changes within us."

Changes? What changes? How? All these things I asked. Philippa explained that gemstones need to be cleansed frequently, to rid them of the unwanted energy which may have been put into them by other people.

As she spoke, I looked at her. Philippa is no New Age hippy or weirdo. She's an ordinary woman, mother to an eight-year-old, whose enthusiasm for crystals and their healing powers has grown into more.

She and her brother Julian, 35, a professional photographer, have opened up Earthkeepers, in Witney, selling crystals, gemstones and other artefacts for the home, including native American goods and pieces of ceramics that Philippa has made herself.

While Philippa has her crystals and ceramics downstairs, Julian has his office above. He takes off for London frequently, where he photographs the stars. Recently, he shot the front cover for B*Witched's latest album and has just photographed the Casualty team for the TV Times. The shop's a great place to come back to after working in London," explained Julian, who has a great interest in the Chinese art of Feng Shui.

He describes Earthkeepers as a one-stop shop for anyone interested in the home.

As I looked round, a constant stream of people came in. Some asked for help but many, ordinary-looking shoppers, knew what they were after, picked it up and paid. "It's fantastic. I love being able to tell people about the gemstones and their healing properties," said Philippa, "and it's great seeing how many people already know about them and now have somewhere to get them from."

Although Philippa, who has just moved to Oxfordshire from Bristol, does not claim to be a qualified crystal healer, she does have some healing power.

"I used my crystals on an old lady in Bristol, whose hands were badly arthritic. I only treated one hand and the pain disappeared completely." As we talked, Philippa encouraged me to look at the stones laid out in the centre of the room. I was told to stare at each colour and let a stone from each group 'choose' me.

I was smiling as I did so, amazed that I was doing it but it was strangely addictive.

When my back started to hurt, Philippa noticed and made me stand still, with eyes closed, while she dinged the Tibetan chimes across my back. I stood there, feeling a little silly but then I stumbled. It felt like I was being pushed and I had to step backwards. An hour later I left, with seven gemstones, which cost £1 each, and the book Crystals and Crystal Healing, by Simon Lilly (Lorenz Books) in my pocket.

I love the stones. By then I didn't care if they did anything, they were pretty, tactile and, hey, they might help me. It was worth a try.

FIVE FACTS ABOUT CRYSTALS

*Crystals have been used since the dawn of civilisation

*The Bible refers to crystals more than 200 times

*Crystals were used in the breastplate for Aaron and the Hebrew high priest Exodus

*The singer Cher won't go anywhere without her crystal

*Shirley MacLaine is a crystal fan

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