Welcome to Gaia! ::

Sorry that no one's gotten to you yet.

As far as crystal balls go, and I'm sorry if I'm not too much help, I think it all depends upon how you initially intend to use it. I've heard of people using the crystal ball combined with a candle on the opposing side as a sort of mixed scrying technique to look for signs in the fire through the ball. I've known a person who would do something similar, but instead of leaving the candle lit, he'd snuff the fire in a quick pinch and look for signs in the smoke. There is a store in my town that teaches how to use metaphysical divination tools, and she places the ball in the center of the table and has tall candle stands that sit in-between each individual at her table.

More often than not, I see people use either quartz or glass. I'm sure that quartz is the preferred choice, but I don't think that should stop you from trying other mediums as well. Divination is different for everyone. And there is no one crystal that works perfectly with everyone. When shopping for divining tools, I would have to say that you should pick the one that speaks to you the most. Of course, the crystal wont jump off the shelf and strike up a conversation with you, but you should get the jist of what I mean.

Just as an example, one of my divination tools of choice is the pendulum. These neat little things come in all different shapes, sizes, and materials. From wood, to metal, and every kind of crystal you can name from a book. Again, no one stone is universal. The best pendulum I have ever worked, so far, with was a sugillate crystal. I could get hours of conversational use out of the poor thing, lol. But on the day I bought it, I was in the store looking to by a brass or copper pendulum because I felt those would be more durable and last longer in my day-to-day life. I walked in, browsed around, and found myself looking at it for about five minutes through the display case. I could almost feel its energy resonating with my own. The owner could see that I seemed more than just interested in its looks. And was amazed at the powerful responses I could get when she let me hold it.(She swore I was a natural, or at least trained X3) I bought it right then and there, a pendulum that was time and a half more expensive then what I initially went there to get, and was very pleased with my purchase ever since.

Of course, when it comes to crystal balls, you'll likely need something at least semi-translucent. But the same principle applies, really. Just because one thing is more convenient, or more popular, doesn't mean it works the best, bar-none. You should be able to feel its natural power calling out to your own. That's when you'll know that it was practically made to your thumb print. If you follow this little piece of advice the next time you go browsing around for any divination tool, I guarantee you will not be disappointed with your find. Hope this helps, and happy hunting!