Ethically Sourced Crystals Tracked and Traced

The Facts About Ethically Sourced Crystals

I want to share a recent experience with a business that promotes its crystals as ethically sourced. They also claim their products are “vetted, tracked, and traced.”

What caught my attention is that they describe themselves as an “International Ethical Crystal Retailer.”

I’m immediately cautious whenever a business claims its crystals have been ethically sourced. While it's possible to source rocks and minerals that are mined and processed responsibly, it’s extremely difficult, especially when the material comes from developing countries.  

Many rocks and minerals are excavated in one country but processed in another. They're often mined in large quantities and travel thousands of miles before reaching a wholesale outlet. Therefore, tracking their journey from mine to point of sale is complicated and in many cases, not possible.  

On their website's homepage, the business owner states;

"We work with small independent communities that are looked after and mine consciously. Ethical crystal sourcing is the fundamental pillar to the origins of our business. Ethical crystals hold a higher vibrational energy that raises energy in your life and home."

Those who use crystals for their healing properties believe they vibrate at a specific frequency. However, there is no scientific evidence to support this, and most scientists argue that these vibrational frequencies do not exist.

Even if such frequencies do exist, they would not change based on how the crystal was mined. The vibration is believed to stem from the atomic structure within the crystal itself.

On another page of their website, they go into detail about their ethical and sustainable business practices, covering everything from sourcing to marketing. 

The business claims it aims to source 100% of its crystals from "cottage mines." While that's not a term used in geology, I suspect it means small, family-owned operations.  

They also claim only to buy crystals that have been mined in ways that have minimal impact on the planet. They say no explosives or heavy, damaging machinery or tools are used, and the crystals are processed safely and with the appropriate equipment.

They even state, "We ensure everyone on the journey of the crystal is well cared for."

At the bottom of this long and detailed page, they conclude, "We believe that to be ethical as a business, you must be able to demonstrate ethical conduct in all aspects of your business, which includes promoting ethical practices to customers."

I then discovered they were selling lapis lazuli from Afghanistan.

Retailer Claims Versus Reality

Lapis lazuli has been mined at Sar-e Sang, high in the Hindu Kush Mountains, for over six thousand years. It isn’t found anywhere else in Afghanistan.

For many years, it has been classified as a conflict mineral due to its well-documented links to corruption, conflict, and extremism in the region.

When I raised a similar concern with another business a few weeks earlier, they told me their lapis came from a mine owned by a local family. That isn’t possible, because the only known source of lapis lazuli in Afghanistan is Sar-e Sang, and the mines are owned by the state.

You can read the business owner's response in an earlier article that I wrote about ethically sourced crystals.  

The term 'tracked and traced' is a relatively new buzzword that some small crystal retailers have started using. For a business to make this claim, it must have an established and proven system in place, along with substantial and verifiable evidence demonstrating that its products can be traced back to where they were mined.  

This includes knowing exactly where and by whom they were mined and being able to provide evidence showing every stage of their journey up until they arrive at a wholesale outlet.

Most rocks and minerals used in crystal healing have undergone some form of processing. They may be carved, shaped and polished as tumbled stones, or, at the very least, cleaned and prepared for the commercial market.

Having done business locally in Africa and Asia for many years, I know it's not uncommon for children to be involved in this kind of work. I've also seen the conditions in which some of the work is carried out.

The following photo was taken during a visit to a potential supplier in India in 2007. I saw children far younger than the boys in this photo working there. Children often start working at a young age because their families cannot afford to keep them in school.
Many of the rocks and minerals sold around the world are mined in Brazil, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Madagascar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and several other African countries.

Unless an independent governing body monitors mining practices and working conditions, it's impossible to know for certain whether ethical standards are being upheld.

Most retailers who claim their crystals have been ethically sourced trust what their suppliers tell them. These suppliers are mainly in China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Brazil.

Most crystal retailers find their suppliers online, often through social media. Some, like us, also attend industry trade fairs. I can say with some degree of certainty that very few, if any, will travel to these countries to buy locally.

On one website I visited, the owner explained that her supplier regularly sends photos and videos of material being excavated. The page included photos of stone being cut and polished by craftsmen.

She goes on to say: 

"Our crystals have been excavated from environments where preservation of the natural landscape and environment is of utmost importance. We ensure our suppliers comply with national environmental regulations and standards."

I find it hard to believe that someone buying a few kilos of crystals from a local business in Indonesia can ensure compliance with national environmental regulations and standards.

In a recent interview, the largest supplier of crystals from Madagascar, who sells at all major trade fairs around the world, acknowledged the issue of child labour in his country, but admitted that little can be done about it.

It's extremely difficult to avoid buying material mined in Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of Congo because both countries have vast mineral reserves.

The Challenges of Mining in Developing Countries

More than 60% of the world's cobalt comes from Congo. Cobalt is essential for the production of computers and smartphones. Congo also has one of the world's largest lithium deposits, an element that's essential for lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicle technology.

Congo has been plagued by decades of conflict involving numerous armed groups, resulting in widespread violence, displacement of people, and human rights abuses. 

The mining of natural minerals has been a driving force behind many of the conflicts in the region, fuelling violence and instability. Congo also has extensive food insecurity, malnutrition and limited access to healthcare and education.

It's widely known that children in Congo are heavily involved in mining. Minerals such as malachite, chrysocolla, dioptase, kundalini quartz and many others come from Congo.

The following image comes from an Instagram post of a business that states its materials have been ethically sourced. Most cobaltoan calcite is mined in Congo. She doesn't state where her pieces are from. 
The lapis lazuli products being sold by the company that refers to itself as an "International Ethical Crystal Retailer" are made from material mined in Afghanistan.

Within a year of the Talibans's return to power in 2021, the country's economy collapsed. Malnutrition is widespread, women are being erased from public life, and unemployment is around 15%.

This is a country where punishments include stoning, flogging and being buried alive. Homosexuality is illegal, and those found guilty are often thrown from buildings.

A young teenage boy was recently beheaded for listening to music while hundreds of onlookers watched and cheered. A nineteen-year-old man was shot for the same 'crime.' These executions were carried out in the same province where lapis lazuli is mined.  

Afghanistan's mineral wealth is estimated to be worth trillions of dollars. However, due to widespread corruption, lack of investment and minimal governmental expertise, this valuable resource has failed to benefit the population or the economy in any meaningful way. 

Vast quantities of gemstones and minerals are illegally excavated and smuggled out of Afghanistan. Lapis lazuli is often sold to China and Pakistan for a fraction of its true value, and from there, it's distributed to the rest of the world.

Given the current situation, it's impossible to "track and trace" lapis lazuli from where it has been mined. For UK businesses, it has not been possible to buy directly from Afghanistan for many years.
  
Reaching the Kocha Valley, where the stone is mined, takes more than twelve hours. There are no proper roads, the only access is by steep, treacherous slopes. In recent years, a village has been built to house hundreds of miners, allowing them to live close to the mines. Due to extreme weather conditions, the mines at Sar-e Sang can only be worked for a few months each year.
(*)
To really understand how remote and difficult it is to reach the mines, download this document published by the Gemological Institute of America (https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-1981-lapis-afghanistan-wyart).

Miners work using gas lamps, with minimal ventilation. Dynamite is used to expose new veins, and breathing and safety equipment are virtually nonexistent.

From personal experience of doing business in Asia, I know suppliers are not always honest about where materials come from and how they've been processed. Many will tell you whatever you want to hear in order to secure a sale.

Testing the Truth Behind Ethical Crystal Claims

During my thirty years as Cabin Crew, I travelled to many countries around the world. Between 2003 and 2019, I bought rocks and minerals for Stone Mania in India, Pakistan, Madagascar, China, Africa, the USA and Australia.

It's important to remember that any business claiming its crystals have been 'ethically and sustainably sourced' is confirming that its products have been mined and processed in accordance with ethical and environmental principles. 

The company I'm referring to in this article was, at the time of writing, just over two years old. Most of their business is conducted online, primarily through Instagram live sales. The following screenshots are from their website: 
After spending considerable time reading about their ethical business practices and exploring their collection, I decided to ask where their lapis lazuli was from.

Lapis has long been one of my favourite stones, and I have several beautiful pieces in my personal collection. It's also a stone I've written about extensively for many years.
   




After almost two weeks without a reply, I contacted them again, this time through their 'Contact' page on their website. I received a reply the following day. 
As I was not a genuine customer, a video call would have wasted their time, which I didn't want to do. That said, I would not have been interested in a video call even if I were a genuine customer. I had asked a simple question that should have been easy for them to answer.


  
I'm not a geologist, but I am three years into a geology degree. Due to the nature of my business, I often speak with geologists and rock and mineral experts around the world and have done so for more than twenty years.

One of my closest friends, who's a geologist, worked in Afghanistan during the early part of his career.

The following day, I received this reply;


"Thank you for your interest in..." was the last line of the email. The business owner didn't even close with her name.

I was so disgusted with her response that I left a negative review on Trustpilot. In an existing review that had already been left for this business, a customer wrote: 

"Communication was very poor. The business owner did refund me but this was then followed by blocking me and sending voice notes regarding how ‘upset’ she was that I was disappointed with her customer service. She also said she believed I had received the product, implying I was lying. The seller is completely unprofessional."
  
Having left my review, the owner's response was just as shocking as her reply to my initial enquiry. This is what she said:

"I've noticed you've edited your review 4 times within 12 hours of your submission, I hope my response reflects your latest updates.

Your shift from collector to claiming to be a geologist raised red flags. Doubts grew when your intent to leave a negative review coincided precisely with our Instagram post featuring authenticated 5-star reviews.

It was clear your aim was business espionage to extract trade sourcing information. Despite offering various avenues for discussion, you declined, solely interested in our business trading source and hiding behind email contact only.

'Company name' operates transparently, as you rightly point out. However, what I prioritise is safeguarding our business trading sources. This is not only to protect our own interests but also to safeguard the small communities, independent miners, and sources involved."

I have no interest in who she buys her products from. I just wanted to know where her lapis lazuli was from. Had the business not claimed on its website that all their crystals are "vetted, tracked and traced," I may not have asked.    

Regarding their offer of "various avenues for discussion", she stated in her email that they've "streamlined support through WhatsApp because it's proven effective for quick responses." I find it strange that they prefer to handle customer enquiries through WhatsApp instead of their business email address. 

What I find most shocking is that any small business owner would say, "We refuse to deal with you because you're hiding behind email contact only."

This 'International Ethical Crystal Retailer' trades online and has a 'studio', which I was invited to visit. I may have gone alone had it not been more than one hundred miles away.

She also refers to sourcing from small communities and independent miners. It's important to remember that the only mine where lapis lazuli is found is owned and operated by the Taliban. Any material excavated by so-called 'independent miners' would have been mined illegally and smuggled out of the country.

The likelihood is that she's buying from a supplier in Pakistan or possibly China.

And then there's this:

"Your negative review coincided precisely with our Instagram post featuring authenticated 5-star reviews."

How does she know I use Instagram? And if I do, does she think everyone sees her posts?

Bear in mind that I had contacted her using my personal email address, so as far as she was aware, I was simply a potential customer. Sadly, as she confirmed in one of her emails, this industry is entirely unregulated, which means retailers can say whatever they like without oversight or repercussions.

I later deleted my review because I didn’t feel it was fair, considering I was only posing as a customer to ask a question.

When Good Intentions Meet Complex Realities

More than 80% of crystal retailers in the UK now claim they only buy rocks and minerals that have been ethically sourced.

While some, like the business I’ve discussed in this article, are going even further by claiming their crystals are “tracked and traced,” others are replacing the term “ethically sourced” with phrases like “conscientiously sourced.”

However, if so many retailers were genuinely buying ethically and sustainably sourced crystals, demand would far exceed supply. The reality is that only a limited number of small-scale miners operate under truly ethical and sustainable conditions.  

Although many retailers are now committed, at least in principle, to sourcing this type of material, the reality remains that the extraction and processing of these rocks and minerals often fall far short of these promises.

The following screenshot comes from the website of a reputable U.S. crystal business. They confirm that lapis lazuli is indeed a conflict mineral.

This highlights the difference between a business that's honest about doing its best to source ethical crystals and one that's more interested in pulling the wool over your eyes.
The truth is, there are plenty of businesses out there with little real understanding of the materials they're selling or the people they're buying from. 

Here's another example: A UK-based business that claims buying "ethically sourced lapis lazuli from Afghanistan" is important because "it helps small family-run businesses in conflict zones."

This comes from their Instagram page. 

The Reality of Being an Honest Crystal Retailer

At Stone Mania, I always do my best to buy rocks and minerals that have been ethically and sustainably sourced, but the reality is, it’s not always possible.

The majority of the world’s crystals are not mined under conditions that meet ethical or sustainable standards, and in many parts of the world, those practices simply do not exist. This is not something many in the crystal community want to hear, but honesty has always been at the heart of what we do.

Since 2002, I’ve prioritised sourcing responsibly wherever I can, always with a commitment to transparency, ongoing education, and helping customers make informed choices. In a complex and largely unregulated industry, I may not be able to guarantee perfection, but I can guarantee the truth.