Marie Kondo is selling a $75 therapeutic tuning fork and people are losing their rag

25 November 2019, 16:46

She taught us to declutter our homes. Now, Kondo’s $75 ‘tuning fork and quartz crystal’ set is making people ask: what the blazes, Marie?

Over the last year, Marie Kondo’s Netflix series – Tidying up with Marie Kondo – has persuaded messy homeowners and renters around the world to declutter their living space and let go of any unnecessary items.

Kondo’s logic: does it spark joy? Keep it. Does it not spark joy? Get rid.

And now, the decluttering guru has announced a new venture: a ‘simple’ furniture range of items that bring you joy.

The range – which has, perhaps unsurprisingly, sparked some debate about mixed messaging on Marie’s part – features a particularly intriguing item: a $75 tuning fork and quartz crystal combo.

Read more: Here’s a recording of Beethoven’s actual tuning fork >

“Marie uses a tuning fork in her everyday life to help her to reset – and she’s never without a crystal,” the product description reads.

“Striking the fork against a crystal creates pure tones that are believed to help restore a sense of balance.”

According to her website, when struck against the quartz, the fork produces a frequency that amplifies the rock’s healing properties.

So while most tuning forks sound the note of A = 440Hz, this mini version is apparently tuned to 4,096 Hz – about the pitch of the highest note on a piano (C8).

Read more: This video of a spinning musical chocolate cake is utterly mesmerising >

Hey, we’re all for buying things that make you happy. But let’s just say it seems Marie’s miniature fork hasn’t exactly *struck the chord* she might have hoped for...

Look, we don’t want to dunk on Marie. It makes total sense to get rid of unnecessary items that don’t “spark joy”.

But how does the fork actually work?? Why is it so small? How come only dogs and crystals can hear it? Can it only be used in conjunction with the smoky rock or can I use it for my practice? And why is the queen of ‘minimalist living’ trying to peddle this to us?

While we wait for our tiny fork and crystal to arrive in the post, you’ll find us turning our attentions to this rather intriguing (and, might we add, out of stock) sharp twig, which is being sold as a £9 ‘tension-relieving’ Shiatsu stick.

Hmm...