Crystals - Believing or knowing?

I Love Crystals.
Look around My home and You'll find them everywhere.
Large Specimens of quartz can be found in family rooms,

Amethyst clusters in bedrooms.
Jade in My workspace.
I wear crystals.
I believe in the energies of crystals, or rather,
I Know.

As a Reader, I've worked in several Metaphysical stores.
Someone is always asking about crystals.
You'll find bins with all sorts of crystals, gemstones.
You'll usually find a description, straight from a book -

alongside these crystals.
Of course You'll also find books on the subject.

Where exactly does this information come from?
How do We know what properties each crystal carries?
Many stones, crystals have properties attributed to them
for centuries.
Ancient peoples  Egyptian, Greek, Celtic - All used stones

for healing, magickal purposes.
In ancient India, Asia, Africa  -
Stones were ascribed to specific energies.
Is it  knowledge these ancient peoples had,
That passed down to Us?
Or perhaps simply belief that breathed the life
into these qualities, each stone carries?

What about newer finds & made made crystals?

Where exactly do these properties come from?
Who decided what Aqua Aura does?
Or Zincite?  Any number of newer discoveries.

We must learn for ourselves.
We must experience on our own.
Books are a great starting point,
but remember that often times it's based on another's
experience.

Smoky Quartz may be a great stone for grounding or protection
for One person,
But it may make another nervous, edgy.
I love Aragonite in it's raw form -
It grounds & helps me meditate. 
I find it a great hand stone -
But someone else may just say meh, does nothing.

It's fine to read books.

To ask others for guidance.
However, when it comes to "Knowing" ,
We must gain that knowledge for ourselves.

May the Stone people whisper their secrets to your heart.