Markets are thronged with a huge variety of crystal jewelry. Some common items are crystal jewelry, Austrian Swarovski cut crystal jewelry, quartz crystal jewelry, American crystals, etc. This confuses consumers to distinguish between natural quartz crystal and a glass crystal. Some of the characteristics about natural and glass crystals helps to distinguish between them. Natural quartz crystal has more silicone dioxide percentage while glass items have very little or no silicone dioxide. “Austrian crystal”, “cut crystal”, “fine crystal”, “Swarovski crystal” are references to forms of GLASS. Some items composed of this type of glass include beaded necklaces or pendants, chandeliers,
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Archives for silica
Obsidian – A stone for grounding and carving
Obsidian is a type of volcanic glass that forms from lava flows. Like silica glass, it can be fashioned into sharp blades or carved into beautiful sculptures, but the hardness is only about 5 on the Mohs scale (so it isn’t durable). If not polished properly, it may be hazardous to handle obsidian because the sharp edges can cut the skin easily. Obsidian is not considered a true mineral because it does not crystallize in any form whatsoever. It’s chemical composition is pretty complicated too but includes a high proportion of silica content (SiO2).
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