Crystals fascinate and mesmerize - opaque, mysteriously misty, shadowy colors that MUST hold ancient secrets, carved into angels, birds or any object that may imbue meaning, the object of some yoga classes. Thanks to celebrity zeal, the wellness industry and the rise of New Age spirituality, crystals have exploded globally. Hashtags for #crystals run into the millions on Instagram. Even the formation process has its elegance:
“Crystallisation is a transition from chaos to perfection;
the evolution of the crystal industry has been less simple. Millions of years
ago liquid rock inside the earth cooled and hardened, and this is how crystals
formed at the twinkling centre of the earth. Piece by piece they’ve been mined
to become the centre, too, of an international industry that hangs on their
rumoured metaphysical healing properties. But recently something else has
emerged from the rocks – a darker truth.”
Several
journalists and media outlets have independently exposed the ugliness behind the
lustre. The Guardian and the New
Republic, from where this post is summarized, are just two.
Crystals and
celebrities:
“In 2017, the New York Times heralded ‘the great crystal boom’
and in 2018 Hello! described them as the year’s biggest health and wellness
trend. Sold as lamps, sex toys, facial massagers or ‘vaginal eggs’ hawked by
Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle empire Goop, there is now a crystal for every
possible occasion. As Kim Kardashian was recovering from her robbery at
gunpoint in 2016, she embraced healing crystals. The model Miranda Kerr has
said that she filters all her skincare products through rose quartz ‘to give
the vibration of self-love’ ……. At a New York Fashion Week presentation,
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen gifted guests ‘black tourmaline to keep negative
energies at bay’, and ‘white clear quartz to promote harmony and balance’. Kate
Hudson ‘adds a little energy’ to her moisturiser by storing it beside crystals;
Adele blamed a bad performance at the Grammys on the fact she’d lost hers.”
Crystals and the
power of placebo:
“In 2001 Dr. Christopher French, a psychologist at Goldsmith,
set out to test the effects of crystals on 80 volunteers. Half were given a
piece of quartz to meditate with, while the rest were given a piece of
similar-looking plastic and told it was a crystal. They were also given a
booklet explaining 10 of the sensations they might experience, which included
tingling, more focused attention, improved sense of wellbeing, a rise in hand
temperature and ‘activation of all levels of consciousness’. Out of the 80,
only six failed to experience at least one of these sensations. ‘The fact that
the same effects were found with both genuine and fake crystals undermines any
claims that crystals have the mysterious powers which they are claimed to
have,’ said French. Dr. Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of
Hertfordshire in Hatfield, added: ‘The power of crystals is in the mind instead
of in the crystals. Clearly there is an effect, but people are paying hundreds
of pounds for crystals and they might as well pay just a couple of quid.’”
Madagascar
One
of the poorest countries in the world, Madagascar is blessed (or cursed) with a
treasure trove of these gems. With a population of only 25 million, Madagascar produces as much as India, Brazil and
China. “And in a country where infrastructure, capital and labour regulation
are all in short supply, it is human bodies rather than machinery that pull
crystals from the earth. While a few large mining companies operate in Madagascar,
more than 80% of crystals are mined ‘artisanally’ – meaning by small groups and
families, without regulation, who are paid rock-bottom prices.”
The Guardian journalist Tess McClure visited a several
villages that mine Madagascar’s large rose quartz deposits. Most of the homes
have no electricity or running water and the residents live below the
$1.90-a-day poverty line. The workers are only paid on average 23¢ a kilo -
barely making enough to live on. McClure
spoke to the areas deputy mayor:
“He estimated that from a population of about 10,000 people,
up to a quarter of locals now depended on the mines for some income. Between
two and four men died each year in the crystal pits surrounding this village,
he said – only two last year, but often it was three or four. ‘Sometimes it’s very
dangerous but they still mine, because they want money,’ he said. ‘There’s the
possibility of landslide, that happens a lot here. The soil falls on them and
they die.’
“Landslides are not the only danger for miners. Smashed rocks
create fine dust and quartz particles can penetrate deep into the lungs. There,
they fester, inflaming surrounding cells, increasing the risk of lung cancer
and silicosis. Child labour is also widespread: the US Department of Labour and
the International Labour Organization estimate that about 85,000 children work
in Madagascar’s mines.”
Two stories:
McClure interviewed a man whose brother had died:
“‘What killed him was digging for stones, about 15 metres deep. He went
into a tunnel and it collapsed from above and he was buried – someone called
for help: ‘Help! Zafimahatratra is buried down there!’ That’s when I went with
his children to dig him up,’ he said.”
McClure also spoke to a widow:
“Benoit was about 55 when he died, said his widow, Josephine Rasondrina,
a tiny woman, less than 5 feet tall, with hair neatly divided into braids. She
brought out a photograph of him. His features had faded. Josephine gestured at
her two granddaughters, about six or seven years old, sitting on the steps. ‘Since
my husband died, they stopped going to school. Since my husband died I got
really tired.’ She raised her fingers to her temple. ‘I am really tired.
Emotionally and physically – because I have to work the field to feed my
children.’”
Myanmar, the
Democratic Republic of Congo and the Taliban:
“‘Healing crystals’ are mined in places like Myanmar and the
Democratic Republic of Congo where mineral extraction is linked to severe
human-rights violations and environmental harm.’ In the DRC, seven-year-old
children work in the cobalt and copper mines, where covetable ‘healing’ stones
such as citrine and smoky quartz abound. International NGO Global Witness found
that the Taliban earns up to $20m a year from Afghanistan’s lapis mines, lapis
lazuli being, as crystal websites explain, one of the best stones for
activating psychic abilities. ‘As with most minerals ……..it is impossible to
know for sure if your crystal was obtained via an environmental and human
rights horror show.’”
An industry insider
on the impossible task of ethical sourcing:
“‘All I can do is ensure that at least quality and genuine
crystals are coming into the market. We’re buying from the best possible
sources. But sometimes unethical mines are the only sources of the crystals
people want. I try to stay as aware of their origins as possible, but I can be
concerned about it while also feeling… impotent?’ He shakes his head. ‘Most
retailers feel they want to [be ethical], but can’t implement it.’ As we
descend from the office into aisles lined with cardboard boxes containing carved
angels and jade tumble stones, he tries to elaborate – the market is so huge,
the demand is so high, the internet is so vast… But his words tail off.”
Slow rumble of anger
and indignation:
“Until
retailers are required to prove responsible sourcing and reveal their supply
chains …… crystal consumers must acknowledge they’re participating in practices
that are having devastating environmental and social impact. ‘The
responsibility of companies to address harms to people and planet in their
supply chains is gaining increasing traction. Industries selling ‘wellbeing’
that do not make it their business to take steps to ensure they are sourcing
their materials responsibly are at risk of accusations of deep hypocrisy.’”
And then there’s Goop:
“Last year, Paltrow faced (and settled) a misleading
advertising lawsuit for claiming that Goop’s vaginal egg crystals had the power
to balance hormones and regulate menstrual cycles ……. A petition demanding
Paltrow’s Goop sell only ethically sourced crystals runs at almost 17,000
names, under the line, ‘No amount of sage can get rid of the bad vibes that
come from human exploitation and environmental destruction.’ The growing number
of people who use crystals, whether to detoxify, reduce anxiety, or decorate
iPhones must acknowledge their healing crystals are likely to have contributed
to human trauma or environmental destruction.”
Sources
Tess McClure, Dark crystals: the brutal reality behind a
booming wellness craze https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/sep/17/healing-crystals-wellness-mining-madagascar
Eva
Wiseman, Are crystals the new blood diamonds?
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/jun/16/are-crystals-the-new-blood-diamonds-the-truth-about-muky-business-of-healing-stones
Emily Atkin, Do You Know Where Your Healing Crystals Come
From? https://newrepublic.com/article/148190/know-healing-crystals-come-from
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Jerry De Luca is a Christian freelance writer who loves perusing dozens of interesting and informative publications. When he finds any useful info he summarizes it, taking the main points, and creates a (hopefully) helpful blog post.
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