Buy a Jade Roller or Rose Quartz Facial Roller?
A common question we are frequently asked is whether to buy a jade facial roller or a rose quartz roller.
Below we will go through this question point by point to help you with your decision.
Before we continue, for those of you truly interested in finding the right crystal for your skin, please try our unique Create Your Own Crystal Facial tool, where you can build your crystal facial by skin type, acupuncture meridian or chakra.
The Difference Between the Jade and Rose Quartz Crystals
Both jade crystal and rose quartz are non porous and so are hygienic for use on the skin, unlike some softer stones. Neither will absorb the products applied to the skin with the treatment and so both can be easily cleaned.
Jade rollers, including the White Lotus jade roller, are traditionally made from nephrite jade, which has been mined in four key regions of China for several thousand years. This is distinct from the cheaper serpentine stone, sometimes called 'false jade', from India and the Afghan region, which is much softer and easier to carve. False jade tends to leach out its colour over time, which is often the first time customers realise they have actually purchased false jade.
Jade rollers are traditionally hand carved by expert artisans. The jade is soft enough that if worked by skilled hands it can be transformed into beautiful rollers with minimal breakage. Be careful when buying a jade roller that the jade has never been chemically treated. This is a bit of modern industry trickery, as it alters the chemical composition of the stone, making it softer, easier to carve and therefore cheaper to produce. Having altered the chemistry of the crystal, the character of the treatment of course also changes.
Rose quartz is a harder and more brittle crystal than jade and so is harder to carve. It is more prone to shattering during the carving process. This, more than the cost of the raw crystal, is the main reason that genuine rose quartz rollers are more expensive than jade rollers.
Once carved, the rose quartz crystal produces an almost mirrored surface, it is so smooth. Again, beware of merchants who chemically treat their rose quartz crystals to make them easier to carve. This process alters the chemistry of the crystal and is not something we recommend for crystal rollers that will spend a lot of time in contact with your skin.
Spiritual Properties of Rose Quartz and Traditional Beliefs About Jade
Jade was the traditional stone of beauty, wealth and power in ancient China. Its rarity and the difficulty of extracting it led it to be more expensive than gold. Men wore brooches of jade to symbolise their position and indirectly their wealth. Women of influence and power wore jade articles in their hair, used jade combs and nurtured their skin with jade rollers and jade gua sha tools.
The ancient Chinese had a different understanding of the lines and wrinkles we all develop. Their traditional spiritual systems and fortune telling were more interwoven with everyday life. As part of these systems, traditional Chinese face reading held that every blemish on the face reflected different aspects of a person's health and fate. Marks in different parts of the face represented problems at different ages of life, and different wrinkles represented health problems with different organs.
We may not share all these beliefs today, but it is important to understand that by reducing the appearance of wrinkles or blemishes on their faces, many ancient Chinese believed they were not only improving their appearance but also potentially transforming their health and their fate.
Against this background it is easy to see how seriously these anti aging techniques were taken, and why an effective beauty tool like the jade roller would become so valuable.
Qi, or energy, was considered the source of all vitality, and healthy qi would be reflected in radiant skin. The modern push to reaffirm the connection between health and beauty would not have been lost on the ancient Chinese. Jade rollers were believed to improve healthy qi flow in the area as well as balancing the opposing forces of yin and yang.
This belief in the use of jade rollers to enhance qi flow explains several facets of the jade roller's use and production even today.
On the face, qi was believed to flow from left to right, so all treatments would start on the left hand side and then continue to the right to enhance this natural flow. All treatments also rolled upwards and outwards to lift the qi and stretch the skin outwards.
The rollers were traditionally made with brass brackets, as this metal was believed to better conduct qi so the connection between the hand and the face was not lost. The rollers and gua sha were also stored in silk lined boxes, not only as a further affirmation of wealth and luxury but because silk was also believed to have better qi flow than other materials.
Rose quartz was not traditionally used to make facial beauty rollers. Having said that, rose quartz has a long tradition of association with beauty and love in European and North African traditions.
Spiritually, rose quartz is considered a stone of love. It is believed to promote unconditional love, open the heart and create harmony in relationships. This use of the crystal as a stone of love seems to be common to the ancient Chinese, Tibetan, Egyptian and Greek cultures and can be traced back to at least 600BC.
Rose quartz crystal is commonly mentioned in legends. In an ancient Greek tale, rose quartz was given to humankind by Eros and Cupid in the hope that its beautiful pink colour would inspire love and desire. In another ancient Egyptian legend, Isis used rose quartz to invigorate her divine youth and beauty.
Both crystals have inspired humans for thousands of years, and while rose quartz has only more recently been used in beauty rollers, it is easy to see why it is such an appealing option.
Rose Quartz Roller and Jade Roller Design
Skilled artisans can now create a variety of roller designs with both crystals. Whichever crystal you choose, it is important to make sure that thicker solid metal brackets are used. Don't buy rollers that use thin wire brackets, which easily break and often contain jagged edges that can tear the skin.
If you are a traditionalist, make sure genuine silk is used in the box. This is very rare, as even most rollers claiming to use silk lined boxes use fake silk, which is hard for the unskilled eye to detect.
Beyond this, the most important thing is to choose a design that appeals to you and that you will want to keep using long after any fancy marketing has faded from your memory.
Jade Facial Roller Rolling Techniques and Rose Quartz Roller Results
From a purely mechanical perspective, both can be used in a very similar way. The ancient Chinese produced very detailed patterns that the rollers should be rolled in to produce the best results. These are demonstrated on the product pages with all crystal roller packs. We also have a complete guide to the technique for professionals.
These patterns were not designed for the rose quartz rollers but can be applied to these more modern rollers with equally good results.
From a Western perspective, both jade rollers and rose quartz rollers support micro circulation, encourage lymphatic drainage and help lift the look of tired, sagging skin. Both will visibly enhance the appearance of the skin with a small amount of effort, in a pleasant way.
Different users believe one or the other works better based on personal beliefs and experiences, but from as objective a position as possible, both will deliver lovely results if used regularly.
Conclusion - Jade Roller vs Rose Quartz Roller
Both jade rollers and rose quartz rollers will visibly improve the look of the skin. Both crystals have long and venerable histories of aesthetic use. If produced correctly, both will last a lifetime and provide a beautiful and enjoyable touch of luxury to any beauty regime.
The decision really comes down to personal choice. The jade rollers are the more traditional option, bearing a long and well documented history of successful use in China. The rose quartz rollers are a more modern adaptation of a traditional stone of love to the beauty routine. Ultimately you should buy whichever most appeals to you, and whichever you are most likely to use daily.
Learn More
Create Your Own Unique Crystal Facial
