About Us
Remember the carefree days of collecting special rocks from everywhere and anywhere your path took you? In a nutshell, we took that same joyful childhood experience of finding and collecting stones and turned it into a full-time business.
Jessy Watson, founder of Little Lemuria, has always had a knack for collecting stones. This hobby was accelerated by a move to Bloomington, Indiana where self-collecting crystals was as easy as pulling over on the side of the road and looking down. Jessy and her husband Doug, co-owner of Little Lemuria, would regularly go for hikes in Yellowwood National Forest looking for quartz geodes, crinoids, blastoids, millerite, sphalerite, calcite, plus many other fossils and minerals that made up the easily accessible geology of Brown County. Simply finding the stones was a thrill, but Jessy was driven to identify the stones and understand more about why they were there. A chance encounter while working at a music venue (that was full of large crystals on display of course), led to befriending a local teacher and Geologist. Jessy began chaperoning for the Brown County HS geology club and through this relationship developed a deeper understanding of the complexity of minerals.
Many mineral museums and a few mineral shows later, the enjoyment of stones persisted. Finally, with only a small selection of inventory, we launched Little Lemuria on Instagram. The name Little Lemuria unites Jessy’s love of lore and mythology with her passion for crystals. Lemuria is a fascinating story shrouded in mystery and conceptualized by some of the greatest minds of the twentieth century. Unfortunately, the true richness and depth of the story of Lemuria has been diminished and distorted over time. The full story of Lemuria is available on The Lemurian Trigon.
Over the past 6 years Little Lemuria has grown from a little corner of the living room to a 1,200 square foot shop built especially for the business on our rural 10-acre homestead. Sourcing minerals has evolved as well. The Tucson Gem and Mineral Showcase as well as the Denver Gem Show are huge annual trips for hand selecting gems and jewelry. International travel has more recently become part of our business model with trips to both The Munich Show in Germany and Sainte Marie Aux Mines Mineral Show in France both happening over the past few years.
Looking to the future, we aim to continue providing both mineral specimens and education that leaves enthusiasts with a thirst for more. It is important not only to have excellent quality specimens, but also to offer them in a range of sizes and prices that don’t exclude anyone who has a desire to grow their collection. Honesty and integrity take precedence when it comes to buying and selling minerals online. Customers put a lot of trust in our eyes, our hands, and our code of ethics when it comes to selecting minerals. We are humbled by the loyalty of our customers and welcome anyone with a passion for stones to become a part of our Little Lemuria community.