Quartz Crystal

Most of us are familiar with obsidian from its use in arrowheads and other early tools, but few know where to find the material or how it is made. Obsidian is a type of igneous rock, which is created when magma or lava is cooled. Unlike many other igneous rocks, obsidian is a glass, created when lava cools quickly and doesn’t allow for crystal growth.

The absence of crystal allows artisans to hone obsidian to an extremely sharp edge, which made it ideal for early projectiles, blades and other tools. Today, obsidian is rarely used for pragmatic purposes. Most obsidian products are now simply for aesthetics, such as an obsidian sphere or points

As the second plentiful mineral in the Earth’s crust, we are constantly surrounded by quartz. There are dozens of varieties of quartz, including some that are semi-precious gemstones. One of the most commonly encountered forms of this abundant mineral is rose quartz.

Due to its cloudy appearance, rose quartz is rarely used as a gemstone in jewelry. Instead, you can find rose quartz used in an assortment of other products—from simple rose quartz sphere to elaborate figurines and carvings. Rose quartz’s color also lends itself well to heart shaped carving and pendants. It is believed that the mineral gets its red coloring from titanium, iron or other trace minerals.

In chemistry, mineralogy and materials science, a crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules or ions are packed in a regularly ordered, repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The word crystal is derived from the ancient Greek word krustallos, which had the same meaning, but according to the ancient understanding of crystal. At root, it means anything congealed by freezing, such as ice. The word once referred particularly to quartz, or “rock crystal”.

 Most metals encountered in everyday life are polycrystals. Crystals are often symmetrically grown to form crystal twins. There are numerous applications of crystals, including jewelry and home décor figures. In my home I keep a collection of exquisite quartz crystal points on the mantel.

There’s nothing quite as hectic and exciting as working in the world of theater. The preparation that goes into any given play is tremendous, both on the individual and group level. Before the curtain ever rises on opening night, there has already been days upon days of work, preparation, and dedication that have gone into the production. Especially if you work behind the scenes on costume, set, or prop design, you don’t have to worry so much about onstage jitters, but you do have that opening night anxiety as you see the fruits of your labor displayed and used onstage.

If you’re looking to put together a play at your local community center, high school, or even your own backyard, you have an amazing selection of tried and true favorites to choose from. One of the most celebrated and often performed plays is Shakespeare’s Hamlet. And if you decide to tackle this challenging and moving play, remember that props and sets can make all the difference. For Hamlet specifically, the most important prop is the skull used in the famous graveyard scene. Every audience member will be waiting for that skull, so make sure you have something special on hand. In my high school production, we invested in a set crystal skulls to help make the climatic scene more dramatic.