What is Ethical Hand Mining?
I recently spoke with Stephen Wells, the owner of Kacha Stones about the importance of ethical hand mining.
In terms of crystal mining, ethical means dealing with smaller scale miners that aren’t causing wholesale destruction. An example of this kind of destruction would be dynamiting methods used in Brazil for example, where a hillside is destroyed and the rubble sorted and sold for everything from jewellery to road fill.
I mine myself here in Wales and travel to India twice a year to collect my Himalayan and Tibetan quartz from people I have known for nearly twenty years. My other main item is Brandberg quartz where I deal directly with individual miners through another long term contact. What these four locations have in common, is that the mining is done by hand and holes refilled. The only way you can have any control over this trade is by buying directly from the people digging, which is what I do wherever possible.
As these people work for themselves, the chances are they aren’t treating themselves unethically so other exploitation of labour issues – almost exclusively related to the mining of precious stones – don’t really come into play.
If you want to read more about Stephen's journey check out this delightful interview I did with him a few years back.
Stephen of Kacha Stones - hand mining
Stephen of Kacha Stones Mining
Omapeleki Brandberg Quartz ~ NEW ARRIVALS!
"If you haven’t got a negative, the Omapelekis are literally unbelievable, you could pick one online here, I recently bought this years find. It was like Christmas ... but better." ~ Stephen Wells
Here's another beautiful Omapeleki. This picture (below) shows the refined internal layers of a skeletal face. Bottom right of the shaft contains a negative manifestation enhydro ~ a perfect DT crystal water pocket. This "inside-out" nature of the formation is why the photographic term "negative" was used.
Omapeleki healing crystal from Kacha Stones
Water Crystals Another interesting feature of the Negative Manifestation formation is that the internal "crystals" (crystal shaped hollows full of water) always have angles parallel to the parent crystal, indicating their resonance with the whole. The water they contain is easily programmed, acting like a re-writable liquid hard disc. More Negative Manifestation Enhydros can be seen on this page.
Negative Manifestation Crystals ~ Omapeleki Brandbergs by Kacha Stones
Negative Manifestation Enhydros Photo from Kacha Stones
Good for Scrying ~ Enhydro Quartz Smoky Flame Brandberg Crystal We have seen a lot of the rare negative manifestation enhydros, but in the vast majority of cases, the water pockets are irregular and curved like in the picture (see below). The thinness of this hollow causes the bubble to sit at the bottom. One of the reasons crystals are used for scrying is that quartz naturally lends itself as a blackboard for our subconscious to scribble on. This smoky flame Brandberg is a good example.
Brandberg Amethyst from Kacha Stones
Stonehenge Inner Circle ~ Preseli BluestonePreseli Bluestone is famous for its use in the original inner rings of Stonehenge. Approximately 80 of these bluestone columns, each one harder than granite and weighing about four tons, were transported over 240 miles (385 km) to Salisbury Plain. They originated, as do these, in the Preseli Hills of West Wales. Kacha Stones is within view of these ancient hills, giving us a special connection with this magical stone.
Bluestone was taken over 240 miles for a reason. There is archaeological evidence that small pieces were given to pilgrims visiting Stonehenge over 4000 years ago by the priests. Ancient Welsh folklore also attributes magical and healing powers to this unique stone.
Geoffrey of Monmouth, The History of the Kings of Britain, 12th centuryIn Monmouth's story, when planning Stonehenge Merlin suggests to Aurelius that he ought to send an expedition to the far West of Britain to fetch the stones. The King begins to laugh and asks: "How can such large stones be moved from so far-distant a country?" he asked. "It is hardly as if Britain itself is lacking in stones big enough for the job!" "Try not to laugh in a foolish way, your Majesty," answered Merlin. "What I am suggesting has nothing ludicrous about it. These stones are connected with certain secret religious rites and they have various properties which are medicinally important. Their [giants] plan was that, whenever they felt ill, baths should be prepared at the foot of the stones; for they used to pour water over them and to run this water into baths in which their sick were cured. What is more, they mixed the water with herbal concoctions and so healed their wounds. There is not a single stone among them which hasn't some medicinal value."
preseli bluestone-a Pendant from Kacha Stones
Kacha Stones*
Glasfryn Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire SA38 9LT
+44 1559 371503
Ethically mined healing crystals and jewellery. We specialize in rare crystals including Brandbergs, Himalayan and Tibetan. Online for over 15 years. Worldwide Shipping.
kacha-stones.com
*Use KATHY as the discount code at checkout to receive a 10% discount!
Kathy Crabbe Bio Pic
About Kathy
Kathy Crabbe has been an artist forever and a soul reader since awakening her intuitive gifts at age forty after five years painting with her non-dominant left hand. This awoke her intuition in a big way. In 2008 she created a Lefty Oracle deck and started giving intuitive soul readings that have touched many lives in profound and playful ways. Kathy lives in sunny Southern California with her pet muses and architect husband in an adobe home they built themselves.