SHEPHERDSTOWN - For Shepherdstown resident Angie Lugaila, the inspiration for her business, which was started in June 2023, has largely come from her family. In fact, it was the popularity of a product she created a few years ago, for the birthday party of her now-13-year-old grandson, that drove her to establish Earthly Gems in the first place. The parents of the kids who came to the party asked if they could take home all of the extra Gem Digs - colorful, hardened powder shapes filled with crystals - that Lugaila had made.
"We made these for a birthday party. That started it all," Lugaila said. "My business started with crystal children's items.
I began making Gem Digs for my two grandsons. They like to mine. So, you can use a little hammer to get your crystals out of the Gem Digs.
From there, we started making Mini Miners buckets, which kids can sift through to find crystals." For adult crystal lovers, Earthly Gems carries a wide variety of ethically sourced crystals, which are sold on their own, as well as in figurine, magnet, necklace, bracelet, keychain and, most recently, water bottle form. The business now sells glass water bottles with compartments in their bases, which can be filled with crystals.
"It's all about the intention of the stones with your water. Your water helps intensify it," Lugaila said. "Your rose quartz is self-love, compassion and unconditional love.
Green aventurine is luck, success. Tiger's eye is strength and protection. You have your amethyst for calming.
"Some people like crystals just because of the colors, and I like that, too. I don't want to force the idea that some people do, that, 'This is what it does. Don't use it for any other reason,'" Lugaila said.
"No! It's beautiful colors and, if you know, you know." She has developed her own recipe for Sili Sudz - essential oil-scented bubble bath powders in a wide array of colors. Customers of all ages can have fun with Sili Sudz, using the powders to make a bubble bath version of sand art in a jar.
"My daughter thought I needed something beside crystals, to differentiate my business from others that sell crystals," Lugaila said, mentioning this is a product that, unlike her others, is both kid friendly and adult friendly. "I tried making a few other things, but it was the Sili Sudz that really took off." Lugaila will be manning her booth at the Jefferson County Fair through the end of the week, as she did earlier this month at the Berkeley County Youth Fair.
"I do a lot of events in the Martinsburg area, as well as Charles Town and Berryille," Lugaila said, mentioning that her next events will be in Salem, Virginia. and in Martinsburg. "I just love what I do.
" Lugaila enjoys working on custom orders, as they allow her to exercise her creativity in different ways. She said she particularly likes developing new Sili Sudz scents and making Gem Digs with different designs or in larger sizes, which can be used for group activities at children's parties. "I will do anything I can to make an order specific to a customer's needs," Lugaila said.
"If you need special colors for something like a wedding shower or gender reveal or an end-of-the-year team party, I can do that. Do you want certain scents for it? I can do that. People will be going home with a party favor that they can actually use.
" To learn more about the business, follow Earthly Gems WV on Facebook and Instagram. To make an order, contact Lugaila at 304-268-8001 or [email protected] .
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