Thank you Gem, you must have picked up on my thoughts because I was really wondering if I should have used salt water.  I read it somewhere online that it could be used to cleanse your crystals.  Glad I didn't do it.

Brenda - I was wondering what someone should do if they are given a negatively charged crystal by someone who ment to harm them or bring them bad luck.  Not that this is the case with me, I'm just curious.  
 How would one do that? Please let me know if I'm asking more than a simple question.  I am very new to crystals.

i bought some whtie sage thsi weekend and was told hold the stones over the smoke clean them too!  i'm glad i read gem's post because i wont use salt to deep in but a circle of salt.  of course if using salt don't use table salt use sea salt so i've heard.  

good luck with them!  

I am not sure what one would do in the case of being given a stone with the intent to harm.

But I would imagine by protecting yourself first before handling the stone then doing the cleansing ritual of using either or both running water and sage.
1st "ask that anything not beneficial to you or your environment be returned to Mother Earth WITH LOVE" the with love part is important because you do not want that what you are asking to be removed to 'infect' the earth.
2nd use the smudge stick in the way you did before.

There are other ways but those are the two I use the most.

When I lived on the coast I used to take my clear quartz crystals to the beach and give them a sea bath. I felt that they enjoyed that immensely they seemed to be ubba energized. I felt great from seeing them so sparkly and buzzy. Hard to describe the feeling but it was great. But no ocean now.

As I said before I am not 100% sure of the stone that has the intent to do harm - how to cleanse that but I can only be guided by my teachings and my instinct. I am sure Gem or George might very well have more insight in that area.

Brenda

A sea bath isn't the same as burying crystals in sea salt crystals or dissolving salt in water and using that. The sea is a natural cleansing force, it has  perfect dilution and many other factors that help cleanse and heal crystals, If your crystal can tolerate water then a quick sluuush in the sea or a mountain stream or waterfall etc will do it the world of good  For the more fragile rinse them under fresh water afterwards or you will get minute salt crystals left behind.

If your crystal is softer or a raw form ie: unpolished or not safe to put in water, then use sage White sage is brilliant for smudging I wrote this a while ago that gives the basics

Some crystals can be used against us, rare but it could happen if someone wanted to try. Those are crtystals that would feel red hot or hostile and make you unhappy or headachy and tired etc, these might need a stronger cleansing, use running water and smudging and reiki and also other 'good' stones lol, a bed of Amethyst is a wonderful energy clearer. As a last resort the stone could be buried and sent back to the earth.