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Healing Crystals: Where Do They Come From?

Every year in Tucson, hundreds of dealers from countries around the world gather for the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show. It’s been held there since 1955, and it’s grown a lot. This year, The Arizona Daily Star estimates 50,000 people are expected to attend.

It’s part of a growing industry of gems and crystals that are often part of a new-age approach to well-being. Gems and crystals can lead to healing and connect us with the earth. An example — actress Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle company Goop sold an $84 water bottle containing “an obelisk-like amethyst crystal to infuse water with positive energy.”

But where do these precious gems come from? Reporter Emily Atkin with The New Republic tried to find out, and, she found, just getting the information wasn’t easy.

Atkin told The Show just how much this industry has grown in recent years.

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Lauren Gilger, host of KJZZ's The Show, is an award-winning journalist whose work has impacted communities large and small, exposing injustices and giving a voice to the voiceless and marginalized.