Earth's Treasury

Fine jewelry, gemstones and gem mineral specimens from around the world. Contact us at: sales@earthstreasury.com

About Me:

My name is Jeffrey Hapeman (but call me Jeff). I've had an interest in gems and minerals since I was a boy and thought I would someday be a geologist. Instead, I followed a path through college and grad school that led to me reaching ABD (all but dissertation) status for a PhD in Molecular Evolution in the Botany department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I left the PhD program in the late 1990's to found an IT consulting and implementation business, which I sold six years later, just after I turned 31. I worked for two large national/international finance firms in executive roles until June of 2012, when I departed the corporate world to return to the entrepreneurial world.

Coincidentally, in early 2012 I had made a connection with the owner of the Oceanview Mine, Jeff Swanger, and after getting to know each other I was able to join the mining crew at the Oceanview Mine in Pala, CA. The Oceanview is the only fully operational gem mine in southern California, and is mining for gemstones on the same mountain where many of these stones were first found in California over 110 years ago. As I enjoyed more time in the mine after leaving the corporate world, I realized I wanted to combine my passions and abilities: My entrepreneurial passion and passion for rocks/minerals/gems and the sciences in general--with my abilities as a photographer and a technologist to create new company.

This is how Earth's Treasury was born.

About Earth's Treasury:

Welcome to Earth's Treasury--your source for fine gemstones, jewelry and gem mineral specimens.

Earth's Treasury was founded in 2012 as the realization of many of my passions: gems, minerals, jewelry, photography and more. I want provide the public with a focused collection of gems and jewelry created primarily from natural stones and materials mined from the earth. While I don't believe there's anything inherently wrong with manufactured stones, I have a strong affinity for gems in their natural state, as they formed within the earth--hence the name Earth's Treasury. I prefer to present these gems as faceted beautiful gemstones; however, sometimes I will prefer a natural gem crystal--particularly if its perfect in form. I particularly enjoy pairing cut gemstones with the rough crystals they are cut from, just as they are mined from the ground. While some people collect these "rough and cut" pairs, my primary goal is to educate people about where their gems come from, and how the look before they are transformed into cut gems and finished jewelry. My focus is on colored gemstones from around the world--sapphire, ruby, emerald, tourmaline, tanzanite, aquamarine, morganite, kunzite, and many more. There is a remarkable diversity of colored gemstones--many of which are far more rare and valuable than diamonds.

I maintain a close connection with the hard-working people who mine these stones for all of us to enjoy. Too often these stones change hands so many times that the men and women who have labored so hard to find them don't see the true rewards of their efforts. In that sense, I strive to ethically source my material--I won't have stones or materials from nations or corporations that exploit their people and natural resources. I always make an effort to buy directly from small miners. While I do source material globally, one of my primary goals is to have a collection of gemstones, mineral specimens and jewelry that are sourced entirely here in the United States. To that end I have developed a partnership with the several gemstone mines here in the United States to help bring some of their wonderful gemstones to the market. I regularly visit some of these mines, hunting the amazing gemstones we all admire so much.

While I do have a website and online store at www.earthstreasury.com, this Facebook page is the place to see my latest creations and get up-to-date information on current sales and special deals. Make sure you that not only "Like" this page, but also add it to your "Interests" so you will get all of my updates--I try to post something interesting every day!