IVC Featured in local paper "Your Neighbor"
Your Neighbor: InnerVision Crystals owner Michael Eggleston passionate about stones
HAMILTON >> Michael Eggleston says he has a dream that “if you work hard you can do anything.” Except for him it is not only a dream, but now a way of life.
Just over a decade ago, Army veteran Eggleston was tired of the same-old 9-5 workday of the corporate world, and yearning for something that would be more stimulating and challenging. He found inspiration from a Yahoo group on the Internet of all places, where he was researching meditation and heard about Herkimer Diamonds, located just an hour away from his home.
Intrigued, Eggleston visited the Herkimer mines on their April 1 opening day in 2006 and came back with a good assortment of the quartz crystals. He then sold the best of those crystals for $300 -- which he said amounted to a paycheck back then -- and found himself hooked.
“The first time I went digging and then sold the crystals, it offered me the chance for the freedom of working for myself,” Eggleston recalled. “I knew if I did it properly I would never have to work for anyone else again.”
He founded InnerVision Crystals in spring 2006. But in starting the business, Eggleston knew he needed to set himself apart from the rest of the retailers around the globe, especially with the immediate access of the Internet offering hundreds of other dealers. He decided to specialize in Moldavite, Phenakite, Herkimer Diamonds, and Lemurian Quartz, the four crystals he had the most passion for working with, and found suppliers at the source for each of them.
He founded InnerVision Crystals in spring 2006. But in starting the business, Eggleston knew he needed to set himself apart from the rest of the retailers around the globe, especially with the immediate access of the Internet offering hundreds of other dealers. He decided to specialize in Moldavite, Phenakite, Herkimer Diamonds, and Lemurian Quartz, the four crystals he had the most passion for working with, and found suppliers at the source for each of them.
Eggleston explained Moldavite is his biggest seller, and did indeed come from above. It was caused by a meteor strike some 15 million years ago, as the impact burned off all the vegetation in the area and left behind the natural green impact glass. He has developed a relationship with sellers at the source, who have allowed him access to some of the best stones available anywhere, he said.
He is engaged to Alicyn Beeman, and has a daughter named Trinity who turns 8 years old on May 22. The Hamilton area is a great place for his family, Eggleston complimented, and he likes to give back to his community, especially through donations to the local food cupboard.
“It is a microcosm of what you really don’t see that much anymore,” he explained. “You don’t have the worries here that you would have in the city.”
Today, Eggleston ships to buyers all over the globe, and is also a regular on the road at the East Coast Gem Show in Massachusetts; the Herkimer Diamond Gem Show; and the New York/New Jersey Gem Show. He only occasionally does his own digging these days though, as most of his long days are spent doing the behind-the-scenes aspects of the job like online researching, sorting gems, and packing orders.
He has grown his business to the premiere online retailer of gemstones, minerals, and jewelry. He also now has two part-time employees as well. They shipped out 3,300 orders last year alone, Eggleston said.
But being his own boss doesn’t mean it has been easier work in less demanding conditions, he admitted. Growing InnerVision has taken a vast amount of time coupled with perseverance and commitment, he explained, but it is all worth the effort.
“It takes hard work and a passion for what you are doing,” Eggleston said. “There’s always something that needs to be done, so don’t procrastinate -- you can make anything happen if you work really hard.”
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