Growing Crystals with a Gemstone Expert
Today, our geologist and gemologist, Elizabeth tries her hand at an easy project for growing a crystal snowflake that you can do at home. Learn about how gems form in nature and about their unique structure. What happens when an expert goes DIY? The answer is a lot of fun.
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Пікірлер: 50
Be aware, borax crystals will turn white within a relatively short time. This is the crystals turning into tincalconite due to the presence of air. They'll get crumbly, too. Alum or MAP make crystals that keep their colors for a pretty long time.
@rowannorth1382
3 жыл бұрын
That's what I've been wondering and haven't gotten a straight answer on- How well they last, do they dissolve in air or water, what's their toxicity. Will it be safe to say, have these crystals out on display? Stuff like that.
@icatz
3 жыл бұрын
@@rowannorth1382 Sure you can put them out. I don't think Borax is toxic. Neither is alum or MAP. Even after they turn white they're still pretty. I used some as Xmas ornaments, but the pipe cleaner cat I made disintegrated. Just search for "why do borax crystals turn white".
@gems
3 жыл бұрын
One way to preserve them is to use a clear coat spray paint or other type of coating that prevents air from reaching the crystals.
@icatz
3 жыл бұрын
@@gems That could work as long as the crystals aren't too fine or fragile. Thanks!
i love how, in the first, larger snowflake, you can clearly see the crystals forming lovely rectangular prisms. absolutely gorgeous!
@KCoda1248
2 жыл бұрын
I saw another video where the made a new solution and put the snowflake (in this case) back in to boost the crystal growth and coverage without it coming out like the pipe cleaner. Also, the pipe cleaner is made up of so many “hairs,” it might have come out less encrusted if it was a snowflake crocheted from string or embroidery thread.
while they are fragile when they are fresh, they can be made firmer by spraying them with a clear shellac. it helps keep them from crumbling.
Borax is useful as a disinfecting cleaning additive. After a lot of my stuff was damaged by Superstorm Sandy, we were instructed to put borax into the washing machine when we were cleaning fabric items (tablecloths, towels, bedsheets, etc) that had gotten moldy after being soaked in the dirty sea water (borax kills mold)
This was so cool! The first snowflake was my favorite!!
I would like to see how different gems grow. Even it’s a cartoon style because its cool seeing how different gems grow
Thank you. That was cool. I’ve grown sugar crystals b4 but I really enjoyed the comparison to what happens in the earth for crystallization.
This was such a cool video. Great way to teach kids and adults about gem growing
Awesome nice hand work on your snow flakes they looked great the crystals growth sweet awesome awesome video thank you
That’s so cool, I’m definitely gonna have to try this in the future!
Ornaments for your tree !! Way cool !!
That's actually pretty impressive that's a coolness project
These home made snowflakes are very pretty and unique looking.😀💙❄ It's amazing how to make crystals from this video.😯💎 Don't be hard on yourself, they look nice.👌 Nice video and Happy holidays.😊💎❄🎄💚❤
Totally Awesome❄️
You guys are the best. This always happens. You guys always post stuff abt the perfect time xD Literally yesterday a friend asked me about crystal growth and I tried my best to explain it but this video might explain it better lol
@somethinginthewalls388
3 жыл бұрын
funky minerals in hot bath solidify and make funkier shapes
@alexanderzangal4125
3 жыл бұрын
@@somethinginthewalls388 that username tho-
@somethinginthewalls388
3 жыл бұрын
@@alexanderzangal4125 the catastrophic result of my 2 braincells being the farthest distance away from eachother
You did good- great Job
Run some course sandpaper over the wire to form extra crystals. Goo fun experiment.💎
Why did the ornaments-in-progress spin around in the borax solution?
Wow what else do you do on your spare time❤😊😊
So cool! Can some kind of coloring be added to make it pink, purple or yellow?
@gems
3 жыл бұрын
We actually tried that a few times. It didn't work out so well. Even with a very dark red solution (courtesy of food coloring), we only got light pinkish crystals. We got better results by using a colored pipe cleaner as the backing and letting the crystals stay somewhat transparent...But that's just with the borax. Stay tuned. We've got a video coming up where we use another material and make some really impressively colored crystals.
Great video. You could’ve hung the thread from the spoon 😂
can these be used as ornaments or will they start to fall apart?
@gems
3 жыл бұрын
They don’t really fall apart, but they will deteriorate over time unless you use a clear coat spray or another type of coating to prevent air from reaching the crystals.
That's so cool! What other crystals can you grow at home?
@gems
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks! Stay tuned...We’ve got some really special projects coming up.
@somethinginthewalls388
3 жыл бұрын
oh boy, well, there are many options, but some are either toxic or unstable. chrome alum is pretty but disintegrates since it readily dehydrates. you can prevent that from happening by either: - coating it in a thick layer of nail polish - covering it in aluminum alum, though it's pretty risky. if you can buy neodymium, I REALLY recommend neodymium sulfate. it's a wonderful pink color and its color actually changes in different lighting. if you wanna go for something easier, i recommend copper sulfate
@zoes.4210
3 жыл бұрын
@@gems Can't wait👍
@zoes.4210
3 жыл бұрын
@@somethinginthewalls388 Thanks, I'll check them out!
Can you add food color imaging to try to make some snow flakes. 👍❄
Wow, I grew borax crystals before but never that size, I'm gonna try it again.
you should use a black pad so we can see them better
I recently grew some awsome crystals in my disposal bucket from my rock tumbler. I had know idea what they were. Now im thinking the are from the borax I used.
Could you put food coloring in the water to colorize the crystals?
@gems
2 жыл бұрын
We tried it. The color wasn't great. But we have a video coming up where we make some really deeply colored crystals using a special formula. Stay tuned!
7:55 nope, shouldn't be surprising. Lotsa nucleation points on that pipe cleaner
I would recommend wearing gloves just to protect your hands because some people can have a reaction have fun❤️
Can you reuse the solution?...maybe heat it up a bit, add more borax or water ?
shoot you did better than me 😅
Yoooo
If crystal could reproduce doesn’t that mean they’re alive? It’s really fascinating!!
I just came to see my future wife 😂 jk