23.08.2026 10:30
In Hatay, biologist Sedat Çam exports nearly 15,000 natural stones from 250 species in the collection he started with a stone he tripped over. Despite not being able to make sales for two years, Çam, who did not give up his hobby, now offers the stones for sale at prices ranging from 200 TL to 45,000 TL.
Residing in the central Antakya district and working as a finance officer at a private company, 42-year-old Çam's passion for collecting began in 2016 with a stone that caused him to trip and fall. After that day, Çam started researching stones, and his interest in this hobby grew day by day.
Çam began collecting various stones by going on nature walks whenever he found time from work. Examining each stone he found meticulously and sharing them with enthusiasts on social media, Çam turned to e-commerce in 2020 as people showed interest in them. In 2023, to make his collected natural stones more visible, Çam converted the roof of his house in Kuruyer Neighborhood into a workshop. Displaying nearly 15,000 natural stones of 250 different types, including citrine, amethyst, fluorite, coral, obsidian, aquamarine, and garden quartz, Çam sells them domestically and internationally.
"WE DO NOT USE CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES IN CLEANING THE STONES"
Sedat Çam said that he spends his remaining time from work either searching for stones in nature or dealing with his collection in his workshop. Çam, who stated that he finds peace by moving away from stress while searching for stones in nature, noted that each stone he obtains gives him a separate pleasure. Çam expressed that he brings the stones he collects to his workshop for detailed examination.
Explaining that he also meticulously cleans the stones, Çam continued as follows:
"I only use pressurized hot water to clean the stones. We never use chemical substances in cleaning the stones, and we are against chemicals. We haven't used chemicals for cleaning so far, and we don't plan to. We have equipment for this. To clean the particles between the stones, we have a watercolor-type brush and a special toothbrush we bought. With toothpicks and long needles, we make our stones spotless and try to send them to collectors who are devoted to stones."
Çam stated that, in addition to stones he finds in nature himself, he also brings stones from different regions within the country and from countries such as India, Pakistan, China, and Japan.
Explaining that stone enthusiasts reach him through social media, Çam noted the following:
"We have requests from abroad. We have sent stones to Argentina, Belgium, France, England, and Romania. Last week, 5 packages of our stones also went to Greece. Our prices start from 200 liras, and our most expensive product goes up to 45 thousand liras."