OUR ETHOS
We, at OOAKSTONES, are committed to being an environmentally responsible organization, and all our actions are in line with this ideology. We make deliberate and conscious decisions to act fairly and responsibly towards all our stakeholders – the environment, suppliers, customers and community. Right from the sourcing site to the stone in your hands, we work tirelessly to ensure our actions do not cause harm to those important to us.
Responsibility towards nature and sourcing partners
For acquiring our stones, we work closely with our suppliers. Some crystals are lifted directly from the ground, while others require mining to extract them. Because there is no regulatory body and a lack of global ethical guidelines for mining healing crystals, a lot of the crystals make their way in stores after having gone through a convoluted network of wholesalers. However, we strive to ensure we work only with those who are masters in this craft and have been involved in doing it ethically for multiple years. We work in close coordination with all family-owned businesses and workshops where the items are polished. We are very transparent in our sourcing policy and always disclose the country of origin. Moreover, none of our crystals are obtained from mines owned by warlords or unethical business owners.
Responsibility towards customers and the environment
Our pricing and packaging practices are based on the same principles. Our crystals are priced according to weight and not beauty, as the latter can be subjective. Our promise is to bring you high quality crystals without huge price tags. Because of this reason, we are usually working with narrow margins which do not leave much room for further discounts or sale.
On the packaging front, we save 95% of the shipping material (bubble wraps, styrofoam etc.) when we receive our wholesale shipment and use them to pack our orders. To date, we have not purchased a single meter of bubble wrap or a single piece of styrofoam and try our best to ensure no material goes to waste. Having said that, we are constantly on the lookout for more eco-friendly packing options.
Responsibility towards the community
At OOAKSTONES, we firmly believe in giving back to the community we thrive in, and we do this on two major fronts.
We started our female network of #OOAKSISTAR of which we are proud to partner with three female entrepreneurs in the UAE who help expand our product offering:
Sassi.dxb (@sassi.dxb) – Handmade crystal jewelry
Pure Candles (@purecandles_dxb) – Luxury handmade 100% Soy Wax candles
Saine Experience (@saineexperience) – All natural yoga accessories