We understand how difficult it can be to find ethically sourced crystal products and jewellery, which is why our goal is to become a trusted source for anyone looking to educate themselves.

This is why we lovingly source gemstone material and crystals globally by working with small scale and artisanal mining operations and local distributors.

And with that, we ensure that every crystal purchase made by you has a minimal impact on the planet and a positive impact on the humans mining and cutting the specimens. 

We are constantly striving to do better and inspire our customers and the entire industry to embrace ethical jewellery and crystals. We work with numerous partners to make sure we’re constantly doing more to live our values. If you have ideas for how we can do more, please let us know!

If you have any questions or other topics you'd like us to cover, reach out, and we will make sure to provide resources for you as you dive deeper into the world of ethical crystals.

What does it mean for a crystal to be ethically sourced, and why is it important to know where you are buying or sourcing from?

We believe it is our responsibility to understand and make conscious choices about our work's impact on those who contribute to our materials.

How do we do this?

• We ensure that our diamonds are certified by the Kimberly Process as 'conflict-free.'
• We ask suppliers for certification and source information if not readily available.
• We avoid sourcing coloured stones from areas where the profits of gemstone or metal mining is known to fund conflict and human rights abuses until we can find a trusted ethical source.
• 80% of our metal components are handcrafted in our studio in Canada.
• We donate 1%, sometimes more, of our global profits toward capacity building initiatives in the small-scale and artisanal mining sector in the developing world.

We strongly believe that all persons working in this industry deserve a fair working wage and a safe working environment. We also believe that our customers should be able to have full transparency in the items they purchase.

To ensure that we are not contributing to unethical practices, we work with vendors who offer transparency in the source of stones and raw materials.

We are consistently working toward improving transparency and accountability in our supply chain, and we work with small businesses in sourcing raw gemstone material to ensure fair living wages and safe working conditions.

Additionally, we are advocates for transparency in the jewellery industry and access to ethical gem supply chains globally.Our values are centered around providing you with a product that is both beautiful and ethically sourced. Our 2021 goal is transparency in origin for each piece of jewellery and mineral specimen in our collection, ensuring we are providing you with peace of mind when you are ordering from us. We are continually updating our collection information as we create partnerships to source each type of stone transparently.

You may be wondering how our business reduces its impact on the environment. Great question!

We are dedicated to reducing our product's environmental and social impact by utilizing recycled metals and ethically sourced gemstone material while creating remarkable and unique pieces that last.

To reduce our environmental and social impact, we always use recycled metals and ethically sourced gemstone material.

• For example, 80% of the sterling silver and 14k gold material used in production is recycled. 
• We use low impact packaging materials, including recycled and up-cycled paper and textile material.

Additionally, we have created our own gemstone eco-system within our studio. We purchase our rough stones in lots from small businesses, and inevitably some specimens are off-shape or otherwise undesirable for specific designs.

Our mosaic collection was created to use these types of materials. Specimens are hammered into shards and carefully set to create these pieces.

We are proud of our ability to use all gemstone material we purchase and reduce our environmental impact.

We also send back 100% of our viable metal waste to a refiner for recycling, and 100% of the gemstone material we purchase is used. We don't just stop there, though. By advocating for greater access to fair mined & pre-made recycled metal findings and supplies, we hope to lead the way to a better, safer future.

Here at luxe.zen, we are proud of our roots and our customers! We continue to work hard in developing our supply network to ensure all of our products are ethically sourced and are dedicated to the cause of educating others.

As our industry continues to grow, we are delighted to see the popularity of crystals increase, as more and more modern spirits integrate crystals into their everyday lifestyle, wellness routines, and personal rituals.

As advocates and educators, we want you to be informed and empowered when you are buying crystals.

When you are armed with the facts and understanding of what 'ethical' means, then you can better navigate what to look for when sourcing or shopping for your crystals.

There is little in the way of fair-trade certification for crystals or transparency in the industry, which makes tracing a crystal difficult - from the time it is mined from the earth to the moment it arrives to you.

If you have purchased a crystal without this knowledge, please do not beat yourself up OR throw out all your crystals. We invite you to continue learning and purchasing with your eyes wide open from here on out. It is our goal for all of us to be informed and continually do better.

You might be thinking, "how can I make an impact in a billion-dollar industry, as one person?"

The good news is that you can! Every decision, every purchase, every social media like, follow, and share can all create awareness and impact the better. This is what our business is all about. We are passionate about educating others on our industry and hope you can help us make a difference.

The ripple effects of each of our everyday acts and decisions can be felt locally and globally. All we can do is stay aware, stay curious, and continue to do better every day.

If you are currently purchasing crystals from another provider and are concerned, we recommend making the following observations:

• Seek any disclaimers or acknowledgments on where the product is sourced. This could be found on their About Us page or usually somewhere on their website.
• Look at the description of the product on their product page. This may show where the items were purchased.
• Where no such information exists, ask the company for an ethical buying statement.

If you ever have any doubts, or want to ensure that what you are buying is, in fact, ethical, be sure to browse our website and blog for ethically sourced goods and recommendations.

We strongly believe in keeping all of our items ethically sourced and strive to make our industry a better place. You can purchase your items with peace of mind, knowing that our business ensures you leave with a piece that has followed these strict guidelines.