Pure Energy
Two Manhattan Beach friends attract positive vibes with their popular jewelry line.
Moonstone, a crystal believed by many to be a protection for travelers or a path to wisdom, used to wash up on the beaches of the South Bay back in the early 1900s—so much so that a stretch of beach in South Redondo was called Moonstone Beach. After years of dredging to stabilize the shoreline, the only things (crystal-related) that remain are wedge clams and street names such as Topaz and Sapphire.
There are thousands of crystals with many different properties in existence, and aside from being very beautiful, they all hold tremendous healing potential. Crystals are the energy of the earth and can be used as tools. Two lifelong friends from Manhattan Beach, Heather Askinosie and Timmi (Smith) Jandro, realized the power of crystals back in the year 2000.
Heather had been working in the real estate business when she got involved with feng shui for a Brazilian homebuyer. Through feng shui, Heather learned about the energy of crystals, which took her into an entirely new direction. She called her feng shui business Energy Muse because a muse is someone who inspires, and crystals inspire through energy.
Heather created a necklace based on feng shui principles—three coins tied with a red string—and named it the Prosperity necklace. She gave the necklace to Timmi as well as several other friends and asked them to wear it for 10 days and then report back to her. Thrilled with the accounts of job offers and other money-related news, Heather knew there was a market for the crystals but did not know how to mass-produce them.
Timmi, a USC alumnus, was super-impressed with the Prosperity necklace and loved the energy of the crystals. She had been a merchandiser in the fashion business for 12 years and knew how to mass-produce product. She welcomed the opportunity to start in a fresh, new direction.
The two decided to embark upon a new journey together selling crystals and jewelry as Energy Muse. Lacking an office, “we literally were known as the flip-flop girls in Manhattan Beach, because we were selling out of the trunks of our cars in our yoga gear wearing flip-flops,” says Timmi. It wasn’t long before the flip-flop girls were selling their jewelry to Hollywood’s A-listers.
Almost a couple decades later, Energy Muse is going stronger than ever, and their book, Crystal Muse, just came out to wide success and critical acclaim. Crystal Muse differs from other books on crystals because it is a recipe book for how to use crystals in your everyday life. The driving force of Energy Muse is to “help people empower themselves.”
“We all have our feet on the earth, and that is our common link. The more we learn to connect to our earth, connect to ourselves, the more we will heal. If anything, maybe the energy of the earth—crystals—is helping people do just that. Connect.”
Selenite, for example, helps stabilize and balance the emotional body. Timmi had inconsistent sleep patterns after the birth of her children, so she wears selenite every day and it helps her sleep. “When I don’t have it on, I don’t sleep as well. We call it liquid light. It is my sleep tool.”
Heather describes herself as an analytical person, and she loves rose quartz—the stone of unconditional love, which opens the heart chakra. She states, “I am working on opening my heart up. Rose quartz looks like love.”
In essence, crystals are tools just like meditation. Heather states, “If you think a crystal is going to change your life, you are going to be really disappointed because the only person that’s going to change your life is you.”
She also believes, “We all have our feet on the earth, and that is our common link. The more we learn to connect to our earth, connect to ourselves, the more we will heal. If anything, maybe the energy of the earth—crystals—is helping people do just that. Connect.“
It was not always an easy journey for the two though. According to Heather, “Five years ago we went to New York City, and literally you could have heard a pin drop in our meetings.”
Recently on their press tour, the two visited Vogue and other top magazines to talk about crystals, and it was an entirely different reaction. “So the time has come,” she says. “People are open to crystals now.”
