Category: crystal mineral crystal mineral seller observations

I have to confess, the festive period took its toll with my time line for adding posts and I concentrating on posting orders!

But heres a niggle of mine, crystals and minerals are found in varying qualities or grades, there’s not real standard until you start talking semi / precious gemstones. However i often see A, AA, AAA listed by sellers for labradorite, lapis, dolomite etc perhaps a bright and happy stone but which clearly isn’t the best grade you could find….Anyway before I continue my grumbles heres a clearly top grade lapis lazuli cut as a faceted stone, a gorgeous rich deep royal blue colour, just unfortunate that there a chip on the end, not sure I’m brave enough to repolish but perhaps it could be hidden in a claw type setting…

Whilst social media has great positives, there’s a downside, possibly by how we use it and by whom and that folk feel they can say whatever they like with no filter….anyway musing over, below is my comment on a Pagan community thread(which has been made a closed group, so unfortunately I can’t list the conversation) regarding mining, blasting and profiteering of crystals and minerals by dealers…

“I think you have to research a little more thoroughly and ask questions of the people selling them, as with many products low pricing uniformity in appearance are often indicators.
Stones are sourced in several ways, some minerals are sourced in conjunction with ore extraction for industry, those big holes around the world that eventually make all the cables and appliances we all use everyday, the buildings we live in foods and medicines we take not to mention health and beauty products.
Blast mining is an expensive pursuit, predominately reserved for higher value commodities.
Others by smaller groups and families creating a living in remote areas often worked by local craftsman with skills passed down through generations, others by collectors exploring areas with hand tools.
Hobbyists providing a mining environment for recreation and education. Stones in some parts are even uncovered after heavy storms, turbulent seas.
Who right now is wearing jewellery with diamonds or gemstones. Mines for gemstones can be little more than a deep muddy puddle in the ground eg sapphires. Diamonds from massive global companies…
From way back stones have been worked for tools and decoration. My large chunks of rose quartz in the garden may well have originated elsewhere but when we’re long gone it’ll still be a large chunk of rose quartz.
I don’t agree with blasting for crystals and would never knowingly buy from such sources, I also believe sensitive folk can easily tell, but I think you can learn a lot from exploring the mineral kingdom, the beauty, geometry and knowledge.
Quartz & feldspar are 2 of the most abundant minerals on the planet the holistic, therapy, pagan, jewellery market is a mere fraction of ‘industry’, these minerals and sedimentary, metamorphic & igneous rocks are formed predominately by volcanic activity and or compression.

TO QUOTE A Mining education info site “What would our lives be like without mining? Imagine a world without transportation such as jet planes or railroads, without communications such as cell phones or radar, without decorative items such as
art or jewellery, without buildings such as skyscrapers or parking garages, without defense systems items such as missiles or submarines, without medical care items such as X-rays or surgical tools. We wouldn’t have any of these things without mining and minerals.”
I love my stones and will always do so.”