Operating and partnership network model

Manufacturing and development:

After a worldwide search we ended up at the foothills of the mighty Himalayas in Pakistan where we found Salt with the broadest range of colors and natural striations that we could have imagined. From off White to Light Pink, from Peach to deep shades of Orange and even to Crimson Red, a veritable rainbow in terms of the more bland colors of Salt we had seen elsewhere. The great variance in colors helps us make every Salt Lamp Creations Salt Lamp, and Salt Tea Light, a unique piece of Natural Art.

An added bonus to these colorations is that Himalayan Salt is unlike any other Salt we have ever encountered as it glimmers when hand chipped and glistens when lit from within. Many Himalayan Salt Lamp companies pressure wash the lamps after they have been carved. This creates an almost plastic like finish to the water absorbent Salt Crystal. You might notice our lamps have a small amount of what appears as powdered Salt on the exterior. When illuminated you will be amazed at how this residue sparkles! From deep below the base of the Himalayas, one of the largest and most beautiful mountain ranges in the World, we begin the

long process of gathering the Salt that will eventually end up in your home or office, many thousands of miles away. Mines have been excavated over the centuries and currently run 800 to 1000 feet deep (in some cases even deeper) and over a mile long. The Salt we use for Salt Lamp Creations The Salt of the Earth collection comes from the mines in the Khewra and Gola Valley. This region has been known for its high quality Salt since the times of Alexander the Great. Salt throughout history has been used for many things including as a form of trade. At one time, it was considered so rare, that it was used as a means of compensation for Roman soldiers. The word and concept of salary comes from the same word as Salt.

As Natural Salt Crystal is removed from the mines, it is brought out in pieces that may way up to 1000 pounds each and are broken down before being put on to a rail-track to be pulled to the surface.

The labor is done in a primitive fashion, without blasting and no children are allowed in the mines. It was in a similar way that Gold and Coal and other Minerals were mined in the USA before the Industrial Revolution.

Once the Salt has been taken out of the mines it is then analyzed to ascertain its best use. Some is used for Seasonings, some for Industrial applications and the prized pieces, with the greatest color variations, are selected for creating Salt Lamps and Salt Tea Lights. This select collection of Salt blocks is then transported by heavy load bearing trucks to our facilities near the Coastal region of Pakistan for further processing. The art of selecting the Salt for each project requires a keen eye. We employ several Graders whose job it is to sort through the salt and decide which pieces will be used in Natural shape lamps and which will be used for specialty carved lamps. Determining the structural integrity of a large slab of Salt enables the Graders to separate those that will be used in our Natural shape collections, by far the most popular and affordable, from those that will be used to make our Geometric series. The Geometric lamps are shapes we offer through our catalog and on our retail web site, as well as special production items we create for our Wholesale and Import customers by special order. Items like Spheres, Fire Bowls, Cylinders, Cubes, Pyramids, Raindrops, Rounded Hearts and Apple Shaped Tea Lights, Cylinders and more, require the Salt to be able to withstand not only hand carving and preliminary shaping, but must also be durable enough to be finished on polishing machines. Once that separation has taken place the next step is to break down the large Salt slabs into smaller chunks, weighing 10-40

pounds each. This hand chiseling is the first step in producing our Salt Lamps and makes the Salt much more manageable. The pieces are then graded again, this time by color and luminescent quality. Many of our customers prefer lighter colored lamps as they glow the brightest when illuminated. Others prefer darker lamps that are more difficult to light but have a more unusual appearance. For Salt Lamp Creations The Salt Of The Earth Salt Lamp and Natural Salt Tea Light Collection we have tried to strike a balance by offering most of our products in the Peach to light Red color range. Nearly pure White Salt is used for our Cool Color Crystal Natural Salt Lamps and is illuminated by a choice of the 6 different colored bulbs we include in each package. Once the color selection has been completed, these smaller slabs of Salt are assigned to artisans, based on their experience and specialty. The more intricate the Salt Lamp, the more experienced a worker must be before being assigned the task of creating a specific shape. A cavity is drilled into the uncut slabs, defining what will eventually be the base of the individual Salt Lamp or top of the Salt Tea Lights. The hole is drilled at this stage because once the Salt Lamp has been brought down to the weight of the final lamp it is too difficult to do the coring, as many Salt Lamps would be cracked and lost in the process.

Each drilled cavity is checked again for structural integrity and cracked lamps are rejected. The size is checked to make sure that our EZ-Change Light Assembly will fit properly, enabling

the Salt Lamp to be lit from within, or to be sure that the Salt Tea Light will hold its candle properly. Then the artistic portion of the Creation process begins. An experienced craftsman shows the artisans on his team what parts of each individual slab should be carved away in order to leave the most beautiful and glistening Salt Lamp. This process, like carving Diamonds, requires patience and an experienced eye that can, by looking at rough Salt, see the gem within.

Using chipping tools, the Natural shaped Salt Lamps are created most quicklythe Fire Bowl, Sphere and other complex Geometric Salt Lamp shapes, which are chipped, then hand carved then machine smoothed and again hand polished can take several days to complete. Our copyright protected embossed Heart and devotional lamp series are also specialized processes that call for a steady hand and a loving eye. Once the lamp has been carved, it is put through a Quality control process again, making sure the base of the lamp is flat and that the lamp stands properly. Each Salt Lamp is checked, measured and weighed and then separated once again based on our size and weight specifications. A cavity is drilled into the uncut slabs, defining what will eventually be the base of the individual Salt Lamp or top of the Salt Tea Lights. The hole is drilled at this stage because once the Salt Lamp has been brought down to the weight of the final lamp it is too difficult to do the coring, as many Salt Lamps would be cracked and lost in the process.

Each drilled cavity is checked again for structural integrity and cracked lamps are rejected. The size is checked to make sure that our EZ-Change Light Assembly will fit properly, enabling the Salt Lamp to be lit from within, or to be sure that the Salt Tea Light will hold its candle properly. Then the artistic portion of the Creation process begins. An experienced craftsman shows the artisans on his team what parts of each individual slab should be carved away in order to leave the most beautiful and glistening Salt Lamp. This process, like carving Diamonds, requires patience and an experienced eye that can, by looking at rough Salt, see the gem within.

Using chipping tools, the Natural shaped Salt Lamps are created most quicklythe Fire Bowl, Sphere and other complex Geometric Salt Lamp shapes, which are chipped, then hand carved then machine smoothed and again hand polished can take several days to complete. Our copyright protected embossed Heart and devotional lamp series are also specialized processes that call for a steady hand and a loving eye. Once the lamp has been carved, it is put through a Quality control process again, making sure the base of the lamp is flat and that the lamp stands properly. Each Salt Lamp is checked, measured and weighed and then separated once again based on our size and weight specifications. Natural Salt Tea Lights have a final pencil wide hole drilled in the bottom to enable you to pop out the used tea light candle and easily replace it. Rubber furniture protectors are added to finish the process.

Packaging then begins. Some of our Import and Wholesale customers choose to go with the bare minimum on product quality and packaging. They often choose to buy second quality and leave off the EZ-Change Light Assembly and Tea Light pop out hole and feet. Those lamps are usually bulk ordered to be shipped simply wrapped in plastic bags and boxed for transoceanic shipment. Salt Lamp Creations The Salt Of The Earth Salt Lamps and Himalayan Salt Tea Lights are specially packaged. First they are shrink wrapped, then bubble wrapped and then placed in beautiful full color packaging that explains the Salt Lamp, how it is made and its many uses. Those retail ready boxes are bar-coded for our customers who have stores across the country and make attractive and unique gifts for any occasion. They are master packed in cartons that hold from 6-12 pieces and then shipped to our warehouse in Oregon for distribution.