AMERICAN STONES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN popular—think turquoise and quartz from the Southwest and garnets and rubies from the Southeast—but they’re in the spotlight now. There are beautiful jaspers and agates being mined in the United States and transformed into beads and cabochons to make beautiful beaded jewelry.
The renewed enthusiasm about American stones is due in part to consumers’ desire to feel good about their purchases. Veronica Woods, president of the Gem Shop in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, says, “Because of our country’s labor laws and regulations to miners, most U.S. stones are ethically sourced. The stones are excavated on legal land, by decently paid workers.”
Jeff Elvin, president of Dakota Stones, says that the Made in China label is sometimes misunderstood. He says, “For the most part, the stones that get…
