FAQ

Q: Who is Colette?

A:  Colette is our daughter.  We named the store after her because of her enthusiasm and interest in rocks and minerals.  At one point, in her pre-teen years, we spent many hours travelling to rock and crystal shops and gem and mineral shows. 

 

Q:  Do you buy crystals and minerals from individuals?

A:  In order to ensure that you are getting the most ethically sourced material, we do not buy material from individuals.  We must have a very high level of trust before we buy anything and when buying from individuals, it is too time consuming and costly to verify/trace the original source of the material and test for authenticity.  There is a lot of fake, stolen and unethically sourced material on the market.

 

Q:  Where do you get your material from?

A:  We only use wholesalers that have a proven track record.  As part of our wholesaler review process we have in-person meetings to discuss the wholesaler's sourcing, business history among other things.  We also travel to physical warehouse locations for in-person site visits.

 

Q:  How did you get into rocks and minerals?

A:  It started at a young age.  Like many kids, I spend hours outside looking for rocks and breaking them open to see what was inside.  I have always been drawn to nature and have found rocks and minerals interesting.

 

Q:  When did you know you wanted to open a store?

A:  There was not one thing that led to the opening of the store.  It was only after many years of living life and learning from life experiences did everything come together and grant me the opportunity to do something I really enjoy.  

 

Q: Is Citrine really heat treated amethyst ?

A: Most of the time. Citrine occurs in nature, but is not common.  Most citrine on the market is heated and/or irradiation amethyst, smoky quartz or rock quartz.

 

Q: Is heating/irradiating a common practice ?

A:  YES.  These processes are commonly used to change color, enhance color and/or to remove inclusions/improve clarity.  Some examples are below.

AMBER . To deepen color and produce ‘sun spangles’ inside the amber.            AMETHYST. Lighten or darken the purple color, change color to yellow/orange, which is renamed to Citrine or change color to green, which is renamed to Prasiolite.                                                                                                  AQUAMARINE. To change from green to blue or remove any green and yellow areas/tints to achieve pure blue
CARNELIAN. To change color from brown-yellow to orange-red.
KUNZITE. To change color from purple to blue or from green to pink or violet.
MORGANITE . To change color from orange to pink.
RUBY. To change color from purple to red and/or increase clarity.
SAPPHIRE. To enhance/deepen color and/or increase clarity.
SMOKY QUARTZ. To lighten color or change color to yellow/orange, which is renamed to Citrine.
SPODUMENE. To change color from purple to blue or from green to pink or violet.
TOPAZ. To change color from yellow to pink. To change colorless to blue.
TOURMALINE. To change color from dark green to emerald green. To change dark brown to light brown.
YELLOW TIGER'S EYE . To change color to red.
ZOISITE . To change color to from brown/yellow color to bluish purple and renamed Tanzanite. Almost all tanzanite on the market are heat treated. Natural deep blue tanznite exists, but is very rare.