An Easy Guide To Understanding The Value Of Crystals
The crystal’s internal structural arrangement defines its external characteristic features. For example, quartz crystals will have prism-like sides in shape with different angles, which are ultimately responsible for their clarity, transparency, and color. Crystals are considered the most valued gemstone because of their unique beauty coming from all angles, some clear that can be cut into gems while others opaque in nature. This specific quality makes every piece completely one-of-a-kind and priceless to its owner, and it can be considered a gift from nature to humans.
The characteristic features that represent specific crystals such as quartz or rubies are:
- Their natural beauty and rarity.
- Making them stand out among all other gemstones.
- Ultimately making them much more valuable than any artificial diamond.
A crystal’s worth is determined by several factors such as clarity, cut of the stone, color, geometry of its shape, scarcity of supply, and demand of its qualities. This article will provide some insight into understanding the value of crystals.
Different Types Of Crystals And Their Characteristics
The main difference between crystal types is the internal arrangement of their respective chemical elements. Regardless of how similar crystals may appear, different science laws govern each type. The following is a breakdown main crystal types:
Geodes
These are considered the “true” crystals as they often contain a cavity hollowed out from which secondary crystals grow. Most geode formations (if not all) start with volcanic activity and the construction of gas pockets that air-borne materials like sand and silt particles settle into, thus creating a cast around some form of nuclei such as a fossil, leaf, or shell. It is thought that there’s always some element present during this process (e.g., volcanic heat), which facilitates the growth of larger crystals on top of smaller ones. These crystals geodes vary significantly in terms of their internal structure and external shape. They also include many different colors and can range from small to large.
Quartz
This crystal’s internal structure consists of symmetrical arrangements of atoms that form six sides. In addition, the presence of a silica tetrahedron creates a flow within quartz crystals that is responsible for its molecular cohesion and apparent features. The perfect six-sided symmetry of quartz results from an equal sharing of required forces (e.g., pressure required to create larger crystals). Although pure specimens are colorless, they may be impure and thus contain various colors due to their molecular makeup or external environmental conditions at the time of formation (e.g., heat, cold, etc.).
There are two main types of quartz: macro crystalline and cryptocrystalline. Macrocrystalline quartz has a visibly crystalline structure of 10-30mm that is transparent to translucent. In contrast, cryptocrystalline quartz lacks the large-scale atomic systems of its macrocrystalline counterpart, thus giving it opaque properties.
Chalcedony
This crystal’s inner structure consists of microscopic crystals with highly regular arrangements. In addition, these crystals are held together by a joint bonding agent (e.g., water or silica), which creates their often banded or flamed appearance and texture. They also include many different colors and can range from small to large depending on the conditions in which they were formed. Chalcedony comprises two main groups: 1) agate and 2) jasper – the main difference between these two is that agate contains a predominantly continuous banding of colors, while jasper’s bands are often less common or absent entirely.
Calcite
This crystal’s internal structure consists of symmetrical arrangements of atoms that form six sides, but it does not have the perfect six-sided symmetry seen in quartz crystals. In addition to this structural distinction, calcite also has three different crystal types distinguishable by their varying degrees of transparency. These different crystal types include:
- Transparent (crystals that allow light to pass through them),
- Translucent (crystals that allow some light to pass through them), and
- Opaque (crystals that do not allow any light to pass through them).
Calcite also produces various colors and can range from small to large.
Agate
This crystal’s internal structure consists of microscopic crystals with highly regular arrangements. In addition, these crystals are held together by a common bonding agent (e.g., water or silica), which creates their often banded or flamed appearance and texture. Agate also typically occurs as layers within underground rock formations that are formed over time by volcanic action or geode. These bands can create concentric rings, eye-catching patterns and banding that is visible to the naked eye, giving agate stones its distinctive look.
What Makes The Value Of A Crystal So Unique?
A combination of internal arrangement and external appearance determines how clear a given crystal is. For example, if quartz is entirely transparent with an internal structure of six-sided prism-like geometry, it’s attributed to being the highest value among all other crystals. On the other hand, a crystal with a non-transparent surface shaped from emeralds with its internal structure being cubic will have much less value than its transparent counterpart.
In addition, color is also one of the key attributes in determining the actual worth of a particular gemstone. For example, rubies or sapphires tend to be transparent stones with red or blue colors, respectively. The ruby may look very appealing as a wearable because of its shade of red, but it does not necessarily mean that it has more value than a sapphire which looks very attractive because of its blue hue. This is primarily because an opaque stone with red color will have less value than a transparent sapphire with a blue shade.
When it comes to cutting, this is also another huge factor in how the gemstone’s clarity displays itself from different angles. For example, if you compare an emerald that is cut into an oval shape with one that is shaped into a round form, then the emerald that was cut into an oval shape would be more valuable because it can capture more light and therefore create sparkles at many different angles. On the other hand, the round-cut form may only shine through directly head-on, limiting its exterior quality to its counterpart.
It is essential to understand the internal structure because it ultimately defines its external appearance. Furthermore, Know what differentiates each type of crystal from another because you want to make sure that you see their similarities and differences for yourself. Finally, try to appreciate that every individual specimen has its own unique story – possibly one that can only be told by examining its internal structure under magnification.