Today we’d like to introduce you to Astrid Huber Proctor.
Astrid, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My husband Jacob and I are both degreed Geologists and we started our journey together while living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Our love of rocks, adventure and exploration lead us to prospect throughout the states of Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul. Our passion for discovery took us through far-flung villages in the remote countryside. From being lost in the jungle looking for aquamarines, to narrowly escaping gun toting pistoleros in the dried out landscape of the Rio Doce river basin, we were often greeted with the good-natured hospitality from kind-hearted and well-natured miners and their families. Over time, we developed friendships with miners and the mine owners representing; Alligator Quartz, Amethyst, Apatite, Aquamarine, Calcite, Emerald, Imperial Topaz, Muscovite, and Tourmaline. As time goes on, our family has grown by two and while new expeditions bring new adventures and expanding their reach to new mines, they have developed the connections and network to export and import from the mines to you. Find us now, in Houston Texas!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The challenges I face at this moment are mostly when I try to balance working from home and taking care of both young kids. Of course, I don’t do it at the same time (hahaha!) but it is almost like that. I have to wait for them to be sleeping so I can have time to make my jewelry or work on the administrative part of the business. And this makes it tiring because there are no breaks. But our passion is what keeps us going. That’s what I suggest to who is starting: make a schedule, organize your agenda and duties, patience and everything will work out!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Gems in the Rough – Rocks and Mineral Shop – what should we know?
As I mentioned before, we sell rocks and minerals that we collect or buy straight from the Brazilian mines. I select pieces that will look nice as a jewelry and then I do pendants, rings, earrings, and bracelets. Lately, I’ve also been doing gemstone trees. For my jewelry I use gemstones like tourmaline, amethyst, calcite, amber, quartz, emerald, imperial topaz, kyanite, selenite and the special thing about it is that I use them ROUGH, with no cuts, polish or color enhancement. I mostly do wire wrapping using silver, silver plated, gold and gold plated wire and I also have polished fine gems that are mounted into 14k gold or sterling silver bezel.
What makes our business special is that we know the story of our rocks because we’ve been where they come from, we’ve heard how they form and how they are found. We’ve experienced the miner’s life, we create a relationship with them. When we return to visit them, we take donations of clothes and food.
What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
Don’t let go of your dreams! It can be hard at the beginning but don’t give up. Organize yourself, be patience, ask for advice or help if necessary and go! If you are in the retail area, participating in markets is a good way of starting a clientele.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rocksandmineralshop.com
- Phone: 346-228-6228
- Email: huber.astrid@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/proctorastrid/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/gemsintherough
- Other: www.etsy.com/shop/gemrough
Image Credit:
Jacob Proctor, Astrid Proctor
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