The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Michael Eggleston has crystal clear future
Michael Eggleston: Owner of InnerVision Crystals built company from small beginnings
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.
InnerVision Crystals has grown to offer a variety of other crystals, gems, minerals, and jewelry over the years since, and Eggleston currently has the largest collection of many of the stones available anywhere. He sells to everyone from the private collector to the professional jeweler, and gems from his collection have even ended up on television thanks to the History Channel, Eggleston said.
He recalled the show “Ancient Aliens” was looking for information on Moldavite, so Eggleston sent themsome pictures of his own specimens. Those photos ended up on season six, episode eight. The show discussed possible celestial visitors of the past, drawing parallels to Moldavite, a green and extremely rare gem found in one particular place in the Czech Republic.
The show tells how the gem-
stone can create a pulsating energy field that can amplify human emotions, and notes that the Holy Grail is said to have been made from a carved green gemstone that had “fallen from the heavens.” Video from that episode is available on the InnerVision website.
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 im- pact 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 GemShow 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 canmake anything happen if you work really hard.”
For more information, visit: www.innervisioncrystals.net