South American Imports
A Conservation with David Vince
by Sloan Gomez
Since 1980, South American Imports has been offering beautiful, high quality crystals and minerals at their shop in Old Town San Diego. They pride themselves in hand-picking many of their crystals in Brazil, during trips they take there throughout the year. Vision recently had the opportunity to speak with David Vince, owner of South American Imports. Here is what he shared with us:
Vision Magazine: What are some of your more popular items?
David Vince: We have 60 kinds of tumbled stones, quartz crystals, Palo Santo incense, Moqui marbles, gemstone jewelry. A lot of people are looking for stones that do things. Each stone has different properties. Some are for calming. Some are for energy. Some for protection. Some people come in looking for something for their love life, and rose quartz is what they’re usually after.
VM: Can you tell us what a tumbled stone is and what the process is for creating one?
DV: It is a piece of rough stone that is put in a tumbler that rotates. It takes about 1-2 months to complete the process. Sand is placed in the tumbler and it turns and turns and makes rough stones smooth. In Brazil, larger 55-gallon drums are used for large quantities of stones. There’s also a vibrating tumbler that vibrates the stones until the stones are smooth, and this usually takes the same amount of time as a traditional tumbler. I have to say, some people like the natural texture of an original stone—not tumbled, not smooth. The stone is natural and rough and original, from its original state. Just like it was born from the Earth.
VM: What part of South America do many of your stones come from?
DV: Most of the stones are from Brazil, but I also import from Peru, Uruguay, Guatemala, India, Morocco, and Madagascar. Stones come from all over the world, but a lot of the nicer stones come from Brazil and Madagascar. For some reason that’s where a lot of the real nice stones come from.
VM: What made you decide to get into the business of selling these beautiful objects?
DV: I went to Brazil for the first time in 1985 and saw the vast amounts of beautiful crystals that were available. This was also a time when the New Age awareness was peaking. [In] 1985 I bought my first rocks in Brazil. I brought them back and the response was really good. At that time in San Diego there weren’t a lot of shops that specialized in rocks. For the size of a city like San Diego, there just weren’t a lot of specialty rock shops.
VM: What is the rarest item you sell in your store, and where does it come from?
DV: Probably Uvarotite from Russia, green garnet, or Cobaltoan Calcite from Zaire, Africa. Uvarotite makes a beautiful druzy.
VM: What does druzy mean?
DV: Druzy is a term given to the tiny crystals [which] has gotten very popular in jewelry.
VM: Our theme for February is “Heart Mind.” Are there any semi-precious stones or minerals that best represent the heart, and ones that best represent the mind?
DV: We carry a wide variety of gemstones carved in a heart shape. These come in many different materials. The prices range from $3 to $150. Rose quartz is for the heart chakra and is a love stone. For cleansing, selenite is a good clearing stone. I guess this soft crystal could be good for cleansing the mind. The selenite crystal also makes a beautiful lamp. The light emitted from selenite is warm, comfortable, and brings a good feeling to any room.
VM: What are your thoughts on crystals and vibrations? Do you have many customers coming in looking for that one particular item that they feel a connection with?
DV: Customers are always looking for crystals that attract them. That is usually how it works. They are either attracted to them for the physical beauty or the way they feel. We have reference books here at the store that people can use for clarification on what stones may be good for, i.e. their positive attributes. Most of the time I have a stone in my pocket. I’ll usually carry something blue because it’s calming.South American Imports is located in Old Town San Diego at 2461 San Diego Ave. #104, San Diego, CA 92110. Call 619.299.3877, e-mail dave@saimport.com, or visit www.saimport.com.
