Crystals: Why it Matters to Me

I love crystals; I collect them, I study them, I look for them outside. I really love crystals. I have lots of reasons to love crystals too, like how they look, or their magical like powers (depending on what you believe). For me personally, I have a deeper reason to why I love crystals, and it all starts with my uncle. 

When my uncle was really little, he and my dad would spend hours and hours looking for crystals outside in the forest, and even their backyard. As he grew, he started collecting more  crystals, and spent time tumbling the crystals (turning them from hard, rough, not as nice looking crystals too smooth, shiny crystals). This passion slowly died down, but he kept his crystals that he had collected over time, and would even add to it if he found a worthy stone. Many years later, I was born! And slowly my passion and interest for crystals grew, really peaking around age 10. I started a collection of my own, and started reading about the formation of crystals, as well as the different types of crystals. I was sharing my new found information with my uncle, when he told me about his crystal! All of a sudden I had a new way to connect with him, even though he lived 4,366.3 km away. That really drove me to learn more about crystals, and expand my collection. My uncle actually helped me with that by giving me some of the crystals from his collection! 

And that is the main reason why crystals mean so much to me.

These are just some of the crystals in my collection right now, about 50 showing in the photo.

How to spot a fake crystal in 3 easy steps

Spotting fake crystal is very important, because let’s be honest, who wants a fake crystal! To make sure the crystal I have and buy are real, I like to follow these 3 simple steps/rules. 

1. Fire test 

This test only works if you already own the crystal, but still something I find important to do to make sure my crystals are real. All you have to do is use a flame, which could come from anything like a candle or lighter, and hold your crystal over it. When doing this, your crystal should not smoke, smell, or melt at all, and if it does this that means it’s plastic. Be careful when trying this, and make sure not to burn yourself. If the crystal is really small you can use tweezers to hold it instead of your fingers. Keep in mind this trick only works to expose plastic fake crystals, and not glass fake crystals.

2. Glass test

If you are still suspicious of your crystal, you can try the glass test. For this test, you should do it at home, because sellers will not want you potentially damaging their crystals, or their glass. At home, it is a very good method. All you need is your crystal and a sheet of glass. The first thing you want to do is look up your crystals supposed hardness on the Mohs hardness scale. Many (but not all) common crystals are fairly hard—at least a 6 on the Mohs scale. They’re pretty resistant to damage when they’re dropped or scratched. Glass is only a 5.5 on the Mohs scale. You will want to try and scratch the glass with your crystal, and if it is genuine and the right hardness, it should leave a mark. This test will not work with a crystal that’s hardness is lower then 5.5 hardness.  

3. Suspicious signs 

Suspicious signs is the last step I follow to fully and confidently decide if a crystal is real or fake. The first sign is the price of the crystal. If a crystal is very cheap, but is big, or fancy, or looks more unique, that is probably a sign of poor quality. Some crystals can be sold at low prices, but they are normally small, and very common crystals. The following signs have to do with the appearance of the crystal, like the second sign; if the crystal has bubbles in it. Natural crystals can have scratches or imperfections on it and in it, but never air bubbles. The crystal could have bubbles filled with water in it, but again, never just air bubbles. If your crystal has these bubbles in it the means it is probably a coloured chunk of glass. The third and last sign is if the crystals colour is extremely vibrant and solid. Natural crystals can have colour, but it is never so strong that the crystal is one solid bright colour. You should be able to tell the colour is artificial just by taking a close look. 

These are the three steps you should use to tell if your crystal is real or fake.

In the photo below you can see some examples of fake crystals:

Reflecting On My Geek-Out:

In my “Geek-Out” project, I got to share lots of information on a topic I am very fond of and very familiar with. For this, I chose crystals. 

The blogging process went really well. I shared my work effectively, showing images with my words, and having all my work organized. I felt really good after sharing my work, knowing someone could read this and learn something new while having a good and intriguing time.

After writing my first prompt, I already felt like I was writing for a different audience. This audience in my mind didn’t know what a crystal was until they stumbled upon my blog. I feel like this mindset made my finished piece better because I tried using more familiar language, and adding lots of details and explanations. 

I really enjoyed making this post, and found my inner writer in the process. Though I don’t think I would want to do this for the rest of my life, I loved getting to share an interest of mine at ease. I didn’t have to think about what words to use, or how to order them, instead it all came together fast and clear. The easiest part of this assignment was definitely the actual writing, partly because of how enjoyable it was. I wish finding what topic to “Geek Out” on was as easy. I really struggled to pick which topic to use, mainly because I never really thought about having something I knew so much about. It took me a really long time, but after asking other people what they thought, I knew my answer. 

This project helped me realize one of my biggest interests, surprisingly. It also helped me realize I really like writing when I truly care about the topic. I think because of this, I may add to this page on my blog in the future.