How to buy properly sourced crystals

The importance of properly sourced rystals

I genuinely couldn’t live without my crystals. That may sound like a crazy statement but it’s the truth; they have saved me emotionally and physically time and time again. For context: I have been doing self-work with crystals since I was 7 years old, during a period when I didn’t understand who I was, nor why the world felt so cruel and cold when it should have been a blast. Now, at 37, I could not be more appreciative of the fact that I get to work with them and open others up to their incredible healing properties. As a kid, I believed that they were part of the magic of the inner workings of our world, directly from Mother Earth’s belly. But I never overly considered nor tuned into the how or the who. How did they get from there to here? Who did that? At the time, I just assumed it was all part of the magic.

But sadly, magic isn’t always part of the story, as much as we’d love it to be. Within every fairytale there’s the role of the wicked witch or the baddy; the bad within the good, and the good within the bad. And although there is no magic fix for some of the conditions, effects or impacts that the farming of our crystal beauties has, awareness is the best mental and energetical place to start. Having an awareness of where you are adopting your crystal team from and how aware your chosen seller is, will work towards changing the game.

When it comes to sourcing crystals, let’s start with the facts:

There are no set regulations, no ethical standards, no laws as such in the entire crystal mining and trading process. All of this, as you can imagine, leaves space for some incredibly bad behaviour though not, thankfully, in everyone.

And so, whilst we are without an official process, it’s important that I do my part as best I can, on whatever scale that is. I need to always be asking the right questions when it comes to who I source or purchase my crystals from.

From my own personal experience, each and every supplier that I work with takes the time and care and love and values each and every part of the supply chain, from the mines to the factories and their workers. They do this so that they can delve into the process and see, first hand, if there are any exploitative or unethical practices going on. I am forever blown away by the care that they have, the attention in gathering as much information and detail as is humanly possible. I have a huge respect for the entire process and for these humans. They are across as much of the ‘all’ as they can be, because they genuinely have a love and understanding for what crystals can bring into our lives. But, perhaps most importantly, they understand their own responsibility in ensuring that it is done as ethically as possible to sustain such a blessing for us today and for future generations to come.

Now, you may think that I’m being a little fanciful here and maybe you’re wondering how you can trust what I’m saying. Someone very wise once told me to question every single thing – and so I do. I take the time to question whether I like the crystal because it’s in a shop that I like the look of, or whether I’m buying larger pieces just because they are online. I always have to trust my intuition and instincts when it comes to these delicate matters, and so should you. I trust my instinct so much that when those experts, those people who have spent years creating a business based on ethical trade as best they can, are talking to me so passionately about their processes, their inner workings, I know that they are not trying to convince me, to sell to me. They don’t have to; they have all of the information right there, imprinted within them and their business and they are ready and willing and, most importantly, able to share it. It’s worth noting that I’ll always take my time when I’m buying something, too. I like to tune in with the seller, see how their response resonates with me. If something feels off, it’s because it is.

What is there to ask and what is there to know?

Most buyers will (and should) have an ethical trading statement in their store or online. If not, ask them where they source from and why. If you feel like you need to, question them more. If they can’t or are unwilling to tell you every single link in their own supply chain, it’s not the right place to buy from. Sadly, there’s no overnight fix when it comes to polishing out the crystal supply chain and I don’t have a solution (although I wish I did!). I have faith, though, understanding that there are steps that the industry is making towards more ethical practices. During my research I was both pleased and relieved to hear how important it was to those that I was working with that their ethical traders used the monies from sales to go back into the community from which it is farmed and how they have cut ties with others, due to a lack of transparency. For some businesses, this is their only source of income. It’s therefore imperative to them that farming takes place with delicacy and care and that their workers and their community are supported by their work. For others, this isn’t always the case and your imagination can and should run wild here…

I believe that it’s also important that we recognise that mining has always been extremely dangerous to mankind and to Mother Earth and that there are environmental effects that we cannot ignore.

As the industry continues to boom, we need to work together to make sure the part we play in the fairness of trade is upheld. That starts with each of us making small changes in how, where, and why we buy and to pay that knowledge forward.

We should always remember each crystal touched has an energetic fingerprint from the hand in which it was held. So always ask yourself: do I selfishly want to bring energy into my home where these crystals are treated as fast food, with unclean and unclear intentions? Or do I want to lean into and invest in those crystal suppliers and lovers who take the time, the care, the responsibility in what they are bringing to market? No matter how long it takes, I’m here to be a part of making that difference. I’d rather do that than make no difference at all.