💎 How it Began
This whole thing started because I couldn’t stand to see beautiful crystals forgotten.
I began “rescuing” neglected collections—often from estate sales or old shuttered shops—where incredible specimens were sitting unlabeled in dusty boxes. These were literal treasures left behind by passionate collectors whose families didn’t know what they had.
Over time, I got good at ID-ing even the oddest minerals. Now I source from lots of places, but that core mission remains: find the fascinating, and bring it back to light.
📚 Nerding Out
I’m obsessed with how crystals sit at the intersection of nature, time, science, and story. Did you know ammolite is actually a fossilized shell from a prehistoric sea creature? That optical calcite was used in early scientific instruments to split and bend light? That copper-based minerals helped guide humanity out of the Stone Age, because they were too colorful to ignore?
There are thousands of minerals, each with wild variations and new formations being discovered all the time. The more I learn, the more I want to learn. Honestly, every new delivery makes me feel like a giddy kid and a nerdy professor at the same time.
🌿 Crystals And Connection
Crystals hold deep meaning for me as a way of connecting to nature and transcending the moment. They were forming long before humans existed, and they’ll outlast us. They invite us to think in scales beyond a single moment, mood, or year. They ask us to slow down.
Crystals have always moved alongside people—worn by ancient royalty, carried into ceremonies, shaped into tools and talismans. Today, I love knowing that when you hold a crystal, you’re holding something that links you to the deep past and to a global web of people who find meaning in the same materials.
To me, that’s what spirituality is: belonging to something vast, weird, and wonderful.
That said, GLC is committed to integrity and will never make false claims about the ability of crystals to cure physical or psychological problems or otherwise affect the external world in unreasonable ways. For example, I may write that a crystal is associated with happiness or good luck but will not make promises about its effects on your life. I think crystals are magical enough without these kinds of shenanigans!
🪨 How Crystals Are Sourced
I do my best to source crystals with care — prioritizing estate sales, direct-from-miner relationships, short supply chains, and wholesalers with transparent practices. I avoid high-risk materials from conflict zones, exploitative labor environments, or protected lands.
Ethical sourcing in the mineral world is complex, and there aren’t always easy answers. But I’m committed to learning, staying curious, and making intentional choices every step of the way.
Read more about sourcing here.
💛 A Little Help From My Friends
Although I started this business myself, I could never have done it alone. I’m endlessly grateful to my partner, friends, apprentice, informal advisory board, and fellow treasure hunters for making this possible.
When I first opened my Etsy shop, I jokingly listed the employees as “me and my emotional support mineral, Pinkie.”
So here’s how Pinkie came to be:
At the time, starting a crystal shop felt kind of ridiculous. My background was all data and social impact — important, serious work. Crystals brought me joy, but were they meaningful enough to pursue?
Then a friend said, “Do it. People need something to hold on to.” And it clicked. In a world of screens and doomscrolling, these physical objects offer grounding. I needed that. Maybe others did too.
So I bought a beautiful pink amethyst slab for her — and promptly broke it. She took the larger piece. I kept the smaller one. That’s Pinkie. A reminder to adapt, to keep going, and to stay connected to the people who believe in you.