FAQ

Who is Colette?

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. 

Do you buy crystals and minerals from individuals?

NO.  Mainly due to the amount of fake and stolen material available and the inability to be able to trace material back to its' original source.  In addition, with over 4,000 different types of minerals and combinations of minerals, it can be very time consuming and costly to get material properly identified.

Where do you get your material from?

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.

How did you get into rocks and minerals?

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.

When did you know you wanted to open a store?

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.  

Is Citrine really heat treated amethyst ?

YES. Almost all Citrine on the market today is heated and/or irradiated amethyst, smoky quartz or rock quartz.  Citrine occurs in nature, but is not common.   

Is heating/irradiating a common practice ?

YES.  These processes are commonly used to change color, enhance color and/or to remove inclusions/improve clarity.

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 (Kunzite, Hiddenite)

Changes color from purple to blue or from green to pink or violet.

Topaz

Changes color from yellow to pink or from 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

Most commonly, Tanzanite is heated in order to change color to from the natural brown/yellow color to bluish purple.  Almost all Tanzanite on the market are heat treated. Natural deep blue Tanzanite exists, but is very rare.