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Quartz crystal growth is one of a few intriguing natural processes that has been copied from Mother Nature and implemented in the laboratory. Industrial growth of commercial quartz crystals for their unique piezoelectric and optical properties has produced the necessary components for electronic and optical devices for about 70 years already.XSTALSHOP (divisionofR&D XTALS, Inc)has recently adapted this hydrothermal growth process with the aim of creating natural-looking crystal specimens for craftsmen, mineral collectors, museums, researchers, educators, as well asobjects d\'artfor other buyers.
The term \"hydrothermal\" is used to describe a crystallization method utilizing superheated (about 660 F (350 C)), mainly alkaline aqueous solutions at very high pressure,EXCEEDING 10,000 psi (>70 MPa). The crystals are grown in an airtight, thick-walled, steel vessel called an autoclave.We called that autoclave as \"high pressure cooker\".Pressure in the autoclave is built up solely by electrical heating.Crystals begin forming on \"seeds\", which are broken natural quartz clusters, and/or slices and pieces of natural or grown quartz crystals. Crushed pieces of naturally abundant milky quartz are the raw vein material for growth.
This process is complex, very energy intensive, requires specific controls, and can be dangerous. It cannot and should not be done at home. Researchers from R&D XTALS have nearly 64 years of combined experience with hydrothermal growth techniques for quartz and several other crystals, and have the requisite educational background in geology and mineralogy. They also have the necessary patience to constantly monitor the batches of growing crystals over a long time from a few months to a few years. However, this is just a blink of an eye compared to the eons-long time scale required for some natural crystal growth.
The faces on each crystal are built up, molecular layer by molecular layer, undisturbed, and in full darkness. They have not been cut, polished, or touched in any way to enhance their beauty after growth. Close inspection may reveal faint traces of the seed inside individual crystals, but all of the external faces are natural shapes with natural luster. Some crystals or its pieces are hydrothermally etched after growth to reveal structural peculiarities and defects, which are importantfor scientific, style=\"font-family: "Times New Roman"; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;\">Quartz is a hard mineral and cannot be scratched easily, but it is brittle. Many our specimens are placed in a plastic display cases to prevent dust accumulation and protect against chipping and breaking.The crystals can be cleaned with warmsoapy waterand air duster indefinitely, and they are insoluble in practically all chemicals. Just avoid touching the very sharp edges and points.
These quartz crystals will last for a long time to educate you and decorate your mineral display at home or at mineral show. Some sensitive people perceive positive energy coming from our quartz crystals (observed at many mineral shows). They use them for healing themselves and others; but everyone can find enjoyment and improved mood just by looking at these sparkling crystals and moving them in the light.
These beautiful crystal plateswere grown on the ~2 mm seed plates, cutfrom the large lab grownseed crystals parallel to the optical axis\"c\"andperpendicular axis\"a\"in hydrothermal conditionsover the three months’ time period.
The seed was planted into anautoclaveverticallywith metal clips visible now on both upper andlower ends of a crystal.The crystal formed with two pinacoidal faces{0001}, six prismatic faces\"m\", ten rhombohedral faces,and two trapezoid faces\"x\"marked in red.Itis right-handed crystal.The growth rate in to\"+a\"directionis about two times larger than in opposite\"-a\"direction.Some rare small twin-buttonscan be observed on\"-a\"shinysurfaces.
The main faces on the crystal arepositive trigonal prism\"+a\"andnegative trigonal prism\"-a\"withdifferent surfacetextures and impurities concentration.
The following gamma-irradiationwas induced smoky color centers in presents of aluminum impurities, which aresubstitute silicon atoms in quartz grown alongaxis\"a\",especially into\"+a\"direction. Seed plate which iscut from purer\"c\"axisgrown material ispractically colorless and observable into specimens with formedical supply and foodsterilization,doesnot induce any harmfulsecondaryirradiation from these specimens.
Crystallengthof allspecimens is 22.0 cm, andthe weight of theplatesisproportionalto itsthickness, which is 1.4 cm,1.6 cm, and 1.8 cm. The width of plates are 11.9 cm, 11.4 cm, and 12.8 cmcorrespondingly.
You can find an additionalinformation about quartz crystals and growth process on the Wikipedia websitewith key words: quartz, crystal, single synthesis, seedcrystal,crystal growth, etc.
Thank you for buying ourspecimens. Positive response will be very appreciated.
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