Growing Crystals with a Gemstone Expert

Рет қаралды 102,688

3 жыл бұрын

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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JTV is one of the leading experts on gemstones and is the best source on KZfaq for all things gem related. Featuring gem history, the science behind the stones, gemstones in pop culture, and much more, you too can become a gem expert by immersing yourself in JTV’s channel. Elizabeth, our expert, has a degree in Geology and Environmental Studies, as well as an FGA from the Gemmological Association of Great Britain.
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Пікірлер: 50

@somethinginthewalls388 3 жыл бұрын

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.

@icatz 3 жыл бұрын

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!

@carollowe3704 4 ай бұрын

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.

@ramessesgomez9414 3 жыл бұрын

I would like to see how different gems grow. Even it’s a cartoon style because its cool seeing how different gems grow

@seachers6124 2 жыл бұрын

Ornaments for your tree !! Way cool !!

@777DVB 3 жыл бұрын

That's actually pretty impressive that's a coolness project

@imari2305 3 жыл бұрын

This was so cool! The first snowflake was my favorite!!

@purplealice 3 жыл бұрын

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)

@commanderdingdong422 3 жыл бұрын

That’s so cool, I’m definitely gonna have to try this in the future!

@LouisVuittonPrince 3 жыл бұрын

This was such a cool video. Great way to teach kids and adults about gem growing

@milesnn 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome nice hand work on your snow flakes they looked great the crystals growth sweet awesome awesome video thank you

@laurasaikia5832 3 жыл бұрын

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.

@cindywitherow988 3 жыл бұрын

Totally Awesome❄️

@tinbotturnbot4024 3 жыл бұрын

You did good- great Job

@purplealice 3 жыл бұрын

Why did the ornaments-in-progress spin around in the borax solution?

@Kyzyl_Tuva Жыл бұрын

Great video. You could’ve hung the thread from the spoon 😂

@karengarcia8587 3 жыл бұрын

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.😊💎❄🎄💚❤

@alexanderzangal4125 3 жыл бұрын

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

@deborahduthie4519 3 жыл бұрын

Run some course sandpaper over the wire to form extra crystals. Goo fun experiment.💎

@miguelmiguelrodriguez3537 9 ай бұрын

Wow what else do you do on your spare time❤😊😊

@nuitarik 3 жыл бұрын

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.

@mbaratucci13 3 жыл бұрын

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.

@malikzubic9200 3 жыл бұрын

Wow, I grew borax crystals before but never that size, I'm gonna try it again.

@droyal18able Жыл бұрын

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.

@sleepweaver3980 Жыл бұрын

you should use a black pad so we can see them better

@mariasciulli8786 3 жыл бұрын

Can you add food color imaging to try to make some snow flakes. 👍❄

@zoes.4210 3 жыл бұрын

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!

@KCoda1248 2 жыл бұрын

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!