I had previously carried Auralite 23 from another source.  At the 2020 Tucson Gem Show I had the great pleasure of meeting the owner of the Auralite 23 mine.  His eight-year-old daughter immediately took charge of me and showed me all of their Auralites.  After getting the full tour, I asked if they had anything tumbled and she showed me both tumbled stones and cabachons.  She then declared that the cabachons are better and offered to help me pick out the best ones.  This little girl was born the same year the mine opened, she IS Auralite 23.

After all the stones were picked through, the father and I had a long talk.  I told him how rare it is to see a mine that advertises itself as “ethical” and asked him to elaborate.  He told me all about their mining processes, from the seasons they work and the equipment they use, to how they monitor the brook trout, which are an environmentally-sensitive species.  I asked him about choosing the Chinese lapidary and we discussed the pros and cons and the complexities of the industry.  We spoke of religious beliefs and divine paths.  We took each other’s measure and liked what we saw.  When we were done talking, the little girl presented me with an Auralite 23 mandala because “we give crystals to the people we like.”