Is Crystal Collecting Ethical?

Working in the crystal biz, I’ve been presented with ethics related questions regarding crystals & being a both a student & teacher of geology, I’ve had the opportunity to ask & explore the topic deeply.

I take this very seriously so this will be more of a serious post Sweet Peas.

For years I’ve found myself having to defend mineral collecting against environmental activists (of which I consider myself to be one). some of whom claim that crystal & mineral collecting is causing major destruction to our planet while also related to slavery + poor living conditions .

I think there may be some  confusion between mineral & crystal collecting VS. mining for precious gems (diamonds, rubies, emeralds)  & industrial ore (coal, aluminum, tin, etc). That stuff is not what I’m speaking of when we speak of mineral & crystal collecting AKA “specimen mining”.

In my extensive research I’ve found that specimen mining usually has little or no DIRECT impact on our planet. Often times, specimens are collected as a by product to ore mining where mines have been dug to get at coal, copper, aluminum, gold, etc. for other items our society seems to have no problem with. In addition, some of what is sold on the market are simply recycled specimens from estate sales. The ULTIMATE in recycling!

There is a HUGE difference here.

Industrial ore mining & mining for precious gems does require heavy blasting, strip mining & sometimes leads to poor living or working conditions.  Slavery comes into play most definitely with conflict minerals. What the heck are conflict minerals? 

THIS IS SOMETHING I IMPLORE YOU TO EDUCATE YOURSELF ON & THEN PLEASE  PLEDGE TO SHARE THIS WITH 3 PEOPLE. WATCH & READ ON:

If you’re concerned about human conditions in relation to the mining of minerals then the very minerals used in our computers & cell phones are the ones we need to concern ourselves with:

I do try to choose a tech company that makes a conscious effort to minimize its use of conflict minerals. Are your electronics conflict free? None are 100%. Please check yours here now & if they’re not please email your tech company directly from the site to make your voice heard! This is so easy to do, doesn’t cost you a dime & is a great way for us to initiate changes.

Then make sure you vote with your $ next time you need to purchase a computer or cell phone.

Vote with the $$!!

So, now let’s educate. This is what goes on in a specimen mine:

This is what mining for quartz looks like at Ron Coleman’s mine in Arkansas
Mining for quartz in Georgia
Larger Quartz operation in Brazil
Mining for aquamarine & emerald in Mexico
Aquamarine in Africa
Digging for amethyst in Kuridala Queensland, Australia
Digging for Topaz in Utah
Mining for quartz in Brazil

Yes, these methods cause some scarring & not all specimen mining is as kind to the Earth as this. Sometimes explosives are used to crack a stubborn rock. However, we’re not talking about massive strip mining & its usually just meters of rock & not very deep. Specimen mining really doesn’t have much of an impact on the environment, but commercial mining for ore is a totally different story. Then there’s the subjective question of “what is damage?” Of course, there’ll be a certain amount of digging or rock breaking. Nature would do the same thing through ice wedging & erosion. Or given enough time, much more destructive Mama Earth forces.

What about farming & urbanization? I feel those are much bigger disturbances to our planet…however less unavoidable.

Yes, child labor  & poor work conditions may be a problem  in countries where there’s less regulation due to weak or corrupt governments.  And sometimes there is no way for us to know who exactly mined a crystal or picked our food for that matter! Unless we were there or did it ourselves! Yep, that is a problem sometimes but its true for anything is it not?

However,  war & rape going on over crystal mining? No.

For our ipads & cell phones? Yes!!!

We don’t like to hear that do we? But we can change this. Please let these tech companies know that this is not OK.

Here’s a recent interview I did with Joanna DeVoe on the topic. I thank her for doing this & for spurring me on to finally finish this blog post! As you’ll see…I’m really passionate about this!

Now, not all ore mining companies are BAD. Some do make a good effort to generate sustainable employment for the communities they operate in as well as have to meet strict requirements to back fill & reclaim the land they’ve destroyed….but, again…this is industrial ore mines…not specimen mining. Sometimes, in a war-torn & weary area, specimen mining is one of the only legit income opportunities the people there can hope for.

Then we have THE ROCK CYCLE. Guess what happens to crystal specimens that aren’t collected? Mother Earth recycles them. Of course, I’m not saying grab all you can b/c they’ll all be destroyed if you don’t but I do feel that we can be free to work with these very special crystal healing tools. They’ll eventually go back to the Mama Earth’s kitchen & more will be created no matter how powerful we think we are. 

Lesson in The Rock Cycle

 So, please get involved. Inform others about Conflict Minerals. Email your tech companies & tell them what you think. Is your techy stuff as conflict free as you can make it? Do you agree or disagree with me? I’m always open to hearing other sides…as long as we keep it mature &  respectful. I’d love to hear about your efforts or what you think!!

Crystal Blessings,

See more like Is Crystal Collecting Ethical? at Hibiscus Moon Crystal Academy