Crystal 101
Crystal 101
The science behind the sparkle. Learn what makes a crystal a crystal, the seven families every stone belongs to, and the shapes they grow into.
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What is a crystal?
A crystal is a solid whose atoms, ions or molecules are arranged in an orderly, repeating three-dimensional pattern called a crystal lattice. That pattern repeats millions of times in every direction, and it's what gives each stone its shape, its strength and the way it catches light.
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Ordered
Every atom has its place.
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Repeating
One tiny unit, copied over and over.
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Three-dimensional
The pattern builds in every direction at once.
Crystal, mineral or gem?
What makes a gemstone?
Not every gem begins as a crystal. Some are minerals, some are rocks, and some, like pearl and amber, come from living things. Gemologists measure them all by the same three qualities. A precious gemstone holds all three. A semiprecious one holds one or two.
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Rare
Natural scarcity, often paired with demand. Gem-quality material forms only under rare and exceptional geologic conditions.
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Durable
How well it withstands wear. Hardness resists scratches (the Mohs scale), toughness resists chipping and breaking, and stability resists heat, light and chemicals.
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Beautiful
Its optical character: color, transparency, luster, brilliance and fire, the flashes of rainbow light a stone throws.
That is why a true, precious gemstone is so prized. It takes all three at once.
The blueprint
The seven crystal families
Scientists sort every crystal into one of seven systems, based on the shape of its smallest repeating unit. Think of them as crystal families: the same building block, stacked again and again, decides the shape a stone can grow into.
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Cubic
Three equal sides, all at right angles. The most symmetrical family of all.
Stones in this family
Pyrite, garnet, fluorite, diamond
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Tetragonal
Two equal sides and one longer, all at right angles. Often grows as tall, square columns.
Stones in this family
Zircon, rutile, apophyllite
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Orthorhombic
Three unequal sides, all at right angles. Picture a matchbox.
Stones in this family
Sulfur, topaz, peridot, celestite
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Hexagonal
Six-fold symmetry around one axis, the source of classic six-sided columns.
Stones in this family
Aquamarine, emerald, apatite
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Trigonal
Three-fold symmetry, a close cousin of hexagonal. Home to the entire quartz family.
Stones in this family
Clear quartz, smoky quartz, amethyst, drusy quartz, agate, hematite
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Monoclinic
Three unequal sides with one tilted angle, so its shapes seem to gently lean.
Stones in this family
Malachite, moonstone, selenite, jade
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Triclinic
Three unequal sides and no right angles. The least symmetrical family.
Stones in this family
Labradorite, turquoise, amazonite, kyanite
Crystal energy
Squeeze a crystal and it makes electricity.
It's called piezoelectricity. When certain crystals like quartz, tourmaline and topaz are pressed or twisted, their lattice shifts just enough to release a tiny electric charge. Send electricity in and the crystal vibrates back, at a perfectly steady rhythm.
That's crystal energy you can measure. In our sessions, we work with that same sense of steady, natural rhythm as a tool for focus and intention.
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1880
The year Pierre and Jacques Curie discovered piezoelectricity in quartz and tourmaline.
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32,768
Times per second a tiny quartz crystal vibrates to keep a watch on time.
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Everyday
Inside lighters, microphones, ultrasound machines and sensors all around you.
The shape it grows
Crystal habits
A crystal's family is its blueprint. Its habit is the shape it actually grows into, guided by space, temperature and time.
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Point
A single crystal grown long and tapered to a natural tip, like clear quartz.
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Cluster
Many points grown together from a shared base, like this smoky quartz.
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Druzy
A glittering crust of tiny crystals coating a surface, like our drusy quartz.
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Geode
A hollow rock lined with crystals that grew inward toward the center.
