Grotte Aven Forestière Gift Shop
The shop is accessible to people who don't visit the cave as well. It's open all day, even during lunch hours.
Prices here are 20 to 60% lower than at typical mineral shops or even online retailers, all without compromising on quality—in fact, you often get even better quality.
It's a thoughtful choice, approaching this as a consumer first and a reseller second.
The shop offers stunning minerals purchased from our favorite supplier, who owns mines in Brazil and provides specimens for the "National Geographic" collection—a testament to responsible extraction practices. Let's be honest though: anything taken from nature is a form of exploitation and destruction, but it's possible to do it a bit better.
Minerals come from legally operated quarries, and absolutely nothing is sourced from underground caves. It's important to distinguish between a Crystallized Cave and quarry crystals and fossils.
WARNING: The law strictly prohibits removing anything from caves, and violations can result in serious criminal penalties, including theft and damage charges that will go on your permanent record.
To protect the site, the cave is equipped with video surveillance systems that monitor activity in real time.
Plus there's our staff in fluorescent overalls, keeping a discreet eye on things in the cave.
Gift ideas for the whole family
Gift ideas featuring DIY bracelets, giant or miniature minerals, genuine fossils or polished stones with countless virtues.
We also offer fossil and mineral workshops, plus crystal hunter kits you can complete on-site or at home.
Bracelets are handcrafted by Sumithra Virginie, who works with care and precision. The foundation is a love of stones and fascination with their beauty. The next step is finding manufacturers with ethics and a commitment to superior quality beads—it's not just about shine, it has to have vibration too! Sumithra uses her mantra, received through initiation in India, which allows her to focus her mind completely.
Often bracelet ideas come to her at night—the bead arrangements and colors whispered to her in her sleep.
If you have a specific vision for a unique piece you want to wear, know that no two bracelets are ever made the same way—never! One option: make your own bracelet by choosing from our available beads. We provide a template to arrange all the beads and spacers, and with the special thread you string it all together. A little help with the special knot and the joy of having your own bracelet—your personal piece of jewelry—is a true delight.
The healing properties of stones have existed for millennia, and crafting a bracelet aligned with your inner feelings is a meaningful journey.
Treasures of all kinds for enchanted children, Created with love and passion by Sumithra Virginie
Sumithra Virginie is polishing a Rhodonite stone to mount it on a jewelry stand.
