Crystals are everywhere. Crystals occur widely in nature and they are used a great deal in modern technology. Crystals have changed the world a lot. The universe is full of almost all nonliving substances in the solid state form crystals.

    Crystals are nothing more than an established batch of molecules or atoms. What they  are made of determines how it will form . Some crystals can be made from salt-these make cubed -shaped crystals. Some are derived from completely different shapes. Some examples of these are diamonds or rubies.

    The types of particle and its geometric pattern determines the properties of the crystal. Salt, sugar, and rubies are all crystals, along with many metallic elements,such as iron . Both natural rock and artificial materials are often crystalline. Any solid matter whose particles are arranged in a regular and repeated pattern is called a crystal. Crystals are build out of atoms. Crystals are made of sand,lime stone,and soda ash.

    Many crystals behave like butter in that they are hard at low temperatures,but soft at higher temperatures. They are called solid at all temperatures be low their melting point. Impurities lower the freezing point,however,the actual freezing point many not be the same as the melting point. Liquid may freeze in different crystal systems.

    Crystals are also categorized by their physical, and chemical properties. There are seven crystals systems. The seven crystal systems are triclinic monoclinic, orthorhomhic, tetragonal, trigonal, hexagonal, and cubic. These are different minerals in crystals which make them different colors. This repetitive nature,crystals can take on strange, and interesting looking form, naturally.

    The earliest crystals grower was nature. A crystal is never perfect. Binary crystals are found in many structures. Other binary crystals exhibit different structures at different temperatures. The elements are found in a variety of crystal packing arrangement.

    Crystals are all around us everyday. All crystals have flat, smooth surface. In crystals the smallest possible repeating structure unit  is called a unit cell. Crystals take varied shapes called habits. Some crystals are shape like pyramids.

    Rock crystal formerly was used extensively as a gemstone. Rhinestones originally were quartz pebbles found in the Rhine River. The widespread use of colorless quartz in jewelry gave rise to the use of the world diamond in the description of     quartz crystals from many areas. The resemblance to diamond is remote. Vessels and spheres have seen carved from large crystals.

    Crystals usually form from molten rock as the molten rock gradually cools. If the molten rock cools very rapidly, the either small crystals form or no crystals form. An example of this is when lava is ejected from a volcano. If molten rock cools slowly, then large crystals can form. Examples of these types of crystals are diamonds, emeralds, rubies, etc.

Jennifer Duran