Why We Source Natural Stones (and How We Choose Them)

Most stones on the mass market are either heavily treated or synthetic. That's not automatically bad — an IGS overview of treatments covers the range. But it isn't what we're interested in making.

Our sourcing rules

1. Named locality when possible. Country of origin, and where we can verify, the region.
2. Disclosed treatments. Heat treatment on some varieties is standard and disclosed. Dye and irradiation are not what we buy.
3. Consistent grade across batches. A supplier that ships beautiful stone once and mediocre stone twice loses the account.
4. Manmade materials, when we use them, are labeled. Opalite is opalized glass — we say so.

Why this matters for the wearer

• Color that doesn't wash out from dye leaching
• Predictable hardness — you know how to care for it
• Real market value — a natural stone holds value across decades

See how this shows up in opalite vs. moonstone and in our full care guide.

What we don't buy

Dyed howlite sold as turquoise. Reconstituted material passed off as solid stone. Anything a supplier can't tell us the source of. Our shop is small on purpose.