The journey that each crystal takes to reach its final destination can vary greatly. It is important to know the origin of your crystals and the conditions they were taken from. Unethical sourcing, such as illegal mining and exploitation of workers, can lead to serious environmental and human rights abuses.
Ethical sourcing means that the crystals are sourced from a reputable and responsible supplier who respects all environmental, labour and human rights laws, as well as safety standards. Ethically sourced crystals are harvested in a way that maintains their natural beauty and preserves the integrity of the environment from which they came. Ethically sourced crystals are also typically created using eco-friendly and sustainable practices.
My role as a seller is to ensure that I buy my crystals from reputable sources that can be trusted. When faced with the question, have these crystals been ethically sourced? The answer manufacturers provide is “yes”. I find the smaller the manufacturer, the easier to trust the answer it is. However I do wonder about the origen of many of our loved crystals.
Most crystals start their life as by products of mining industries. They are then bought by the crystal industry to manufacture into products. This allow for the mass production of crystal products that we have access to. Was their origen ethical? I am told yes, but I wonder myself. However, I imagine that if that crystal industry was not there ready to use those rough and raw stones that were by product of mining, they would be wasted, and we would not have access to those stones that Mother Earth has made. What it is true, is that the mining industry will remove these beloved stones from the Earth, whether we buy them or not. Their ultimate purpose is finding the mineral they require like copper, coal, gold…
I make sure that the products I purchase come from companies that look after their staff. Where possible, I purchase directly from the manufacturers, minimizing the profiteering in between hands. These are small producers, often family run businesses that live in communities that thrive working in this industry. One manufacturer tells me “no, I do not have any pistachio Calcite. I have asked to all my neighbors, and they do not have it either…” I love that there is a community that are thriving helped by the shopping habits of us crystal lovers.
I can not guarantee the ethical Origen of each of my crystals, and I won’t lie about it. But, I can guarantee that I try my best, and that I am careful in my sourcing. I can tell you that from the moment they arrive to me these crystals are loved and cared for. Their energies are allowed to settle and are cleared of anything that does not serve them. They are filled with light and cleansed with sound. They are loved. And with that, I hope that they return to their original vibration of love that made them in the womb of our Mother Earth.