Enter the Earth is one of the largest direct importers of Madagascan rocks, minerals, and fossils in the USA. We began as a retail store in downtown Asheville in 2002 and then expanded to wholesale in 2004. While our main warehouse is still in North Carolina, we opened our second location in Tucson, Arizona, in 2020. It relocated to Tucson’s Mineral District (1601 N. 15th Ave.) in 2025 because of a highway expansion project.
Nader Kawar is the owner of Enter the Earth. He began by vending at concerts and music festivals, following touring bands like Widespread Panic. (Our name “Enter the Earth” is even derived from their lyrics.) Nader’s mentor was Paul Obeniche, a French expatriate with a lapidary business in Madagascar, best known for discovering Ocean Jasper® in 1999. Enter the Earth began underwriting the operations of his original factory and mines when Paul retired in 2013. He passed away in 2020.
We are best known for our connection to Ocean Jasper® and became the trademark owner of the name in 2022. While additional rough may be found near the surface, it has been found primarily in large underground deposits called veins. Paul found the largest two from 1999-2006, and Nader has discovered six additional ones since 2013, including the popular eighth vein in 2021.
Since our factory and mines are in Madagascar, we specialize in polished materials like labradorite, carnelian, and ammonite fossils. We also carry popular rough rock like rose quartz. We pay our Madagascan workers a fair wage and modernized Paul’s original operations by replacing lapidary machines, ventilation systems, and personal protective equipment…