One of my fondest childhood memories is of visits to the hall of geology at the local natural history museum. The space was dark as if entering a cave, with the only light sources coming from the displays. As a kid it felt like wandering through an abyss of nothingness, and then, as if by magic the display appeared. My favorite was always the amethyst. To me it was the biggest gem I had ever seen, a microcosm of wonder I could spend hours getting lost in. Even now the wonder, and especially the curiosity has never wained. I still visit the hall of geology with butterflies in my stomach, holding my breath as I turn the corner to see the crystals.
Once upon a time in school I did some fun science experiments with crystal structures, one of which is quite easy and inexpensive to do at home. Just grab some salt or sugar, a clear glass dish, a spoon to stir and some hot water. Then take the salt or sugar and start adding it to the hot water in the clear dish. Stir continuously as you add the salt or sugar and keep adding it until no more will dissolve (i.e. saturate the solution). When the solution is saturated just set it aside to evaporate ( a sunny window sill should do the trick). After a few days you should see the crystals start to develop. A good magnifying glass is handy at this point as the crystals are small, but what fun to see the structure of things we consume every day!
That experiment is great, but then I wanted to make bigger crystals so I opted to start a few Crystal Garden Kits. They come in a variety of colors, but not quite the ones I wanted to make right now, so I decided to add some color of my own. A few drops of food coloring and a couple of the white Crystal Garden Kits is all it took to make customized crystal colors...
I also added a special spring themed wish to each crystal crossing my fingers each would come true as the crystals grew...
It's only been a week and I can see already the crystals growing.
Learning about structure really is half the fun of crystals. Referred to as lattice structures, the shapes they take are incredibly interesting. From my favorite kind of crystal, amethyst ( part of the quartz family its lattice structure is trigonal, meaning it is made up of three main axis giving it that pyramid kind of shape at the top of each crystal)...
...to giant crystals hidden deep in the earth of Mexico... it always amazes me how a simple curiosity, like one in crystals and geology can lead to so much more.
From springtime wishes to dark hallways and microcosms of wonder, nature has it all...
~ Jordan
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*Last time in Nature: Lenses
