People who work with crystals - Do you care about the ethics?

Question

Of how crystals are mined? Or does it not concern you?

I did a lot of reading into the subject a while ago and was left feeling sickened by the vast global business of strip mining mother earth simply to satisfy the "new age" demand for crystals.

What do you think?

Answer 1

As I can't, or will never be able to afford a diamond encrusted iPod, then I am, rather coldly, indifferent to the miner's conditions.

I am more concerned about all those tibetan protesters in China that have just 'disappeared' without trace....

Answer 2

I found mine on crystal mountain on the ground, just laying there.  

Apparently the miners used to carry them half way home and just drop them next to the path as their hands got cold.

Answer 3

Most crystals for the new age market are not mined - they are simply picked up and the rock broken in two.  It provides valuable work for people in areas where there is not much work. What exactly are you claiming the non ethical aspects of the trade are? How is more unethical than any other klind of mining? Do you know how many lives have been lost in diamond mines? And if you did a lot of reading then what are your sources of information?  And don't you think the market for quartz must be very big globally given its used to power batteries?  can't see that the new age market is going to be anywhere near that size.  And don't you think quartz batteries are less polluting than other types?  I don't know but do you?

Answer 4

It is not just the 'new age' community that demands crystals. Think wags, think wag copycats. you cannot blame such a huge business on one group of people.

Answer 5

I think you can choose who to get your crystals from. There are many people who go into the pre-existing mines from the gold and silver era and get the crystals there, or who find them in streambeds near mines. They aren't involved in any form of further damage.

If it concerns you,then don't buy crystals or know where they come from.  Personally, I only get what few I have from local people I know well and know their methods.

Answer 6

I think there are far greater things to worry about, like child abuse.

Answer 7

Do you by any chance have any sea shells that you have bought from a shop or pearl jewelry or coral? These sea creatures have had to die for our vanity. The shells harvested not washed up on the beach and then boiled alive just for the shell to adorn our homes or made into jewelry. The pearl is taken from the oyster who's shell is ripped open by a knife while the creature is still alive then is dies. Coral is hacked from the sea again to adorn our homes or made into jewelry and we better not forget the humble sponge which is also a living creature harvested just for humans to wash with. At least crystals don't have to die for our vanity

Answer 8

So many things I have read about the "crystal business" are falsehoods perpetrated by those who really have no problem with the method of extraction, only the practice of actually using crystals for healing and divination which are "against God". They therefore conjure up terrible images of large earth movers gashing through the topsoil and doing irreparable damage to our planet. It's just another way they can heap shame on people who are professed nature lovers and true protectors of the environment and stop those evil witchcraft practices all in one fell swoop. The truth is, many crystals are extracted using no more than a small hammer and chisel and the methods do no more harm than tending a garden.

Answer 9

Yes, it does depend on how they are mined. But more importantly, it depends on how they are kept after they're mined. Some shops sell crystals that are very drained and dirty, you can feel that they have been treated like their 'just rocks'. When you get them from Occult shops, certain online stores and such, you can feel that the energy in them is clean and that they have been taken care of.

Mother Earth has given us the gift of these crystals and stones. We have an ancient relationship with them. By bringing them into our homes and our lives, we are bringing in the energies of Mother Earth. It is to the benefit of Mother Earth and ourselves, for that to happen.

*edit*

I agree with Gianni too, great answer!

Answer 10

my sis was into new age healing. she was diagnosed with leukemia and sadly died. the first thing the specialist did was take her crystals and have them tested for radioactivity!! - they weren't by the way. I must admit both my sis and I thought it was extremely funny in a dark sort of way.

Answer 11

not really!

Answer 12

Crystals, gems, mineral specimens.......have all been mined for various reasons LONG before the current surge in "New Age" interest. There's no "simply" about it. They are considered a commodity by mine owners and sold to whomever will buy them. If you are offended by strip mining, then look beyond crystal claims to see the worst of this business. It is most often used in the extraction of coal and tar sand. Do you use any coal-powered energy, any pertroleum based products? Or, do you have anything made of granite? Have you checked into how that is mined (quarried). Do you have any gold? THAT is one of the minerals that is mined in the most TOXIC manner to the Earth. (Ever seen the type of pits gold mines create?) Every type of mining will leave an imprint on the Earth, just as our basic human existence does. To suggest that crystal mining is "simply to satisfy the new age demand for crystals" is shortsighted and erroneous. Do I purchase crystals? YES! And more often than not it is the warriors, the mistreated that become my best allies. Funny, though, I don't own gold. Hmmmmm.

Answer 13

That's an excellent thought. It's similar to how diamond mines cause untold misery and pain, and as a result some people only buy diamonds from Canada or somewhere like that. I don't do this stuff anymore, but I did in the past. This is something that never occurred to me.

Answer 14

The most precious crystal in the world is the diamond. Do you now or in the future intend to own/wear one? Do you have any other precious or semi-precious stones that have been made into jewelry? What about gold and silver, platinum, titanium and the list goes on. All of these are mined in most countries of the world, not just for 'New Age' use but for a range of uses that you would never imagine. You should read about the diamond mines in Africa, how is was in the past and that its not a lot better now. These elements will still be on Mother Earth long after we are gone, just in different places. The human treatment in any kind of mining from coal to diamonds was and still is in some places barbaric. So when you think about it logically 'New Age' is the last in a long line of people that utilised the stones and crystals. You can trace this way back to before the Ancient Egyptians, and their wealth is still around and through time will return to the earth that it came from. As a result of all this your sentiment is somewhat lost, sorry. Try studying the stones, you may learn.