New Brunswick woman turns rocky hobby into flourishing business
A new online business based in the Saint John, N.B. region is taking rock collecting to the next level by selling locally sourced raw stones and crystals that have been found in New Brunswick.
Lea St John is the woman behind the Instagram page Raw Stone Studio, where she sells everything from quartz, to calcite, to fluorite, and much more.
She’s been collecting rocks since she was a child, even getting her prospecting license with her father years ago.
“We went looking for minerals, gold, a prospector’s dream is gold, and just to see what we could find,” says St John. “As I got older, with a full-time job, I have quite the collection of beautiful crystals that I’ve found along the way.”
With that collection, and an increasing interest around crystals, came an idea. St John decided to sell her discoveries through her own enterprise.
She describes her pieces as being “locally, sustainably and ethically” collected and when searching, tries to look for cliff-sides and other places where rocks have fallen naturally.
“As they fall down with the help of gravity, different veins of crystals and other stones get exposed as well. We try to do as little damage as possible to where we’re going so, we like to let nature do the work,” says St John.
St John sells her items not only online but also through the local store, Obscurity, located in uptown Saint John.
She also recently collaborated with other businesses in creating the “Saint John Crystal Box”, which includes two locally-collected crystals, a geode rock sugar cookie, a geode Epsom bath bomb, Amazonite bracelet, keychain made with local calcite and more.
St John will also be at the Saint John City Market this weekend with some of her items. As far as her favourite crystals, she says it has to be Quartz crystal and fluorite.
“It comes in these beautiful pinks and purple,” she says. “And calcite is always a nice one because those stones break off in these nice, square-like shapes and they’re just very pretty.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.