The collection · 17 specimens
Your crystal encyclopedia.
Look closely at real specimens. Learn the visual clues, check the mineral facts, and discover the stories behind the stones.
Names follow the collection labels. Trade names and unverified identities are clearly noted in each guide.
17 of 17 specimens
Quartz family
Clear Quartz
Look for a glassy, clear-to-milky body and the suggestion of six-sided crystal faces.
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Quartz family
Rose Quartz
Its soft rose-pink colour is usually cloudy and translucent rather than crystal clear.
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Quartz family
Amethyst
Look for purple colour that may deepen toward crystal tips or appear in distinct zones.
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Quartz family
Citrine
This supplied specimen forms a warm yellow-orange cluster with a pale base and pointed Quartz crystals.
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Quartz family
Tiger's Eye
Turn it in the light and watch for a silky golden band that moves across the brown surface.
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Quartz family
Moss Agate
Translucent chalcedony surrounds green, brown, or dark inclusions that resemble mossy branches.
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Other minerals & rocks
Rainbow Fluorite
Look for glassy bands of purple, green, or clear colour and flat cleavage-like surfaces.
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Feldspars
Labradorite
A grey body suddenly flashes blue or multicoloured light when viewed from the right angle.
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Feldspars
Moonstone
Look for a pale feldspar body with a soft, floating glow that appears to move below the surface.
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Other minerals & rocks
Obsidian
Its deep black colour and smooth, glassy lustre can resemble a polished piece of dark bottle glass.
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Other minerals & rocks
Malachite
Vivid light-and-dark green curves, eyes, and bands make this material immediately distinctive.
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Quartz family
Black Onyx
Look for a highly polished black surface, sometimes with subtle parallel banding or colour variation.
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Trade names
Caribbean Calcite
Pale sea-blue areas sit beside cream, tan, or white bands in this carved trade-name material.
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Other minerals & rocks
Emerald Rough
Search the rough matrix for green-to-bluish-green crystalline areas rather than a polished gem surface.
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Trade names
Bumble Bee Jasper
Bold yellow-to-orange bands alternate with black and grey areas like the markings of a bumble bee.
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Trade names
Volcano Agate
This photograph shows the collection specimen glowing in vivid colours under ultraviolet illumination.
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Trade names
Mangano Jasper
The supplied carved tower has gentle pink-to-cream colour with soft internal patterning.
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