Crystalworks in Vancouver is a gem among gem
houses. Exhibiting and selling natural crystals from around the world, this gallery holds some of the most
dazzling, unique and sacred crystals from every side of the globe.
Gallery co-owner Karen Lipsett-Kidd has had her eyes on the prize since she was a little girl. Her dream to
have a gallery like this was inspired by her love of crystals and natural objects from the Earth. Today,
Crystalworks holds exotic crystals, minerals and fossils from countries such as Brazil, Australia, China,
Madagascar, Afghanistan, Uruguay, Mexico, Indonesia, Liberia, Tanzania, Russia and Canada.
Lipsett-Kidd began the journey to finding these stones at the age of 15.
After buying a handful of quartz crystals from a flea market in San Fransisco, Lipsett-Kidd returned to
Vancouver and sold every last piece to her friends. Thus began her search for the source of the crystals.
After a friend told her of a miner in Arkansas, Lipsett-Kidd started to import quartz minerals and began to
make jewelry out of them. At age 19, she realized there was so much interest, she started an at-home business
with the help of her mother, Susan. Now, after a quarter of a decade, Crystalworks is an internationally
acclaimed world-class mineral gallery.
The minerals at Crystalworks are never dyed, treated or altered in any way. Some are polished and some are
formed into eggs or spheres. The natural aspect “gives people a connection with the sacredness, creativity
and the preciousness of our planet,” says Lipsett-Kidd.
The minerals are decorative in home and office and are very popular as contemplative pieces. “People use them
to have a focal point in their home that brings a sense of peace and quietude. When you look at them you
experience this sense of awe.”
There is no doubt that these stones can appeal to anyone.
“People are attracted to different stones for different reasons; I think there is almost always something
that someone is drawn to… They connect with it in a certain way,” says Lipsett-Kidd. “I see what happens to
people when they come in here. And even if it’s just a sense of awe and wonder just looking at something that
is 500 million years old in this perfect state, I call it a reflection of perfection.”
All gems are available for sale at the Crystalworks gallery located in Vancouver. A web store is now open,
making gems available to people outside of Vancouver as well.
To view the
collections, visit crystalworks.ca.•
