CRYSTALS AND PRECIOUS STONES
We are proud to have perhaps Sweden's largest assortment of precious stones, minerals and crystals from all over the world!
Crystals and precious stones
WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE PERHAPS SWEDEN'S LARGEST RANGE OF GEMS, MINERALS AND CRYSTALS FROM AROUND THE WORLD!
Here you will find raw, cut, natural, tumbled and untreated minerals, gemstones and crystals. Beautiful and fascinating to marvel at and decorate your home with.
MINERAL
There are roughly 4,600 different minerals and new minerals are discovered every year. The definition of a mineral is that it is a substance created by nature in solid form, it is homogeneous, crystalline, inorganic and defined by its chemical formula. If we break down the previous sentence, it might become even clearer what counts as a mineral.
A substance created by nature - a mineral is created by the geological processes that are constantly taking place in the earth. How minerals are created is a long and varied process with different substances and reactions in the soil, which in turn give the stone its unique properties. Synthetic gemstones cannot be counted as minerals because they are created in laboratories.
Solid form - minerals are therefore not liquids or gases, but always in solid form. In other words, ice can actually count as a mineral, but not water.
Homogeneous – homogeneous materials are the same throughout, so they cannot be divided into simpler components. If you hit a mineral with a hammer so that it splits into smaller pieces, all the pieces consist of exactly the same substance.
Inorganic - mineral does not consist of and is not created from animal or plant parts, so coral, pearls and amber are not minerals.
Defined by its chemical formula - everything that exists is made up of atoms. We call a given amount of a certain number of different types of atoms, for example, rock crystal, if the mass consists of other types of atoms, it is a different mineral. The chemical formula for rock crystal is SiO2, which means that each silicon atom is connected to 2 oxygen atoms.
Crystalline – a crystalline material has its atoms arranged in a structured pattern. In some cases, it becomes clear where you can see the crystal structure in, for example, an amethyst cluster, but in some cases, the crystal structure is difficult to see with the naked eye, such as different types of jasper. In other words, glass is not counted as a mineral, even though glass can form in nature and even though it consists of the same chemical components as rock crystal. But glass does not have its atoms arranged in an organized pattern and therefore cannot be counted as a mineral.
PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES
The definition of what constitutes a gemstone is not always clear cut. In general, it can be said that it is a material used for embellishment and decoration. Most gemstones are minerals, but not all. Some examples of non-mineral gemstones include amber and coral and there is also a wide range of man-made gemstones such as synthetic diamonds and rubies. But there are some criteria to go by to say if a material counts as a gemstone, these are beauty, durability, rarity and acceptance. We explain each of these terms separately:
Beauty – that the material is beautiful in itself, or that it becomes even more beautiful when processed, such as polishing or grinding.
Durability – that the material is resistant enough to be processed so that it becomes useful for ornamentation or decoration.
Rarity – of the natural materials there is always a limitation. Although there is a constant manufacturing process going on in the interior of the earth, we cannot influence which materials will be formed and in what quality we find them. It is for this reason that many sought-after gemstones are manufactured synthetically. The synthetic gems are similar to the natural ones, both chemically, optically and physically and therefore sometimes very difficult to distinguish from the natural ones.
Acceptance – it is the acceptance of a material that makes certain materials count as gemstones. Glass is not accepted as a precious stone, although it can be beautifully cut and set into stunning jewelry. It is also the acceptance of a material that makes certain materials more desirable and command a higher price than others. For example, natural and untreated minerals are considered more desirable than their synthetic counterparts, even though the manufactured stones are often many times more beautiful. The acceptance of a material also determines what it is we see on the market. An example of a non-accepted material is new ivory.
So what is the difference between a semi-precious stone and a precious stone?
The term semi-precious stone is outdated and misleading. Semi-precious stone gives the impression that the stone would be less valuable than a stone called a precious stone. But in many cases, for example, a good quality amethyst can be both more beautiful and more expensive than poor quality sapphires and rubies. So therefore, semi-precious stone is an expression we avoid using.
CRYSTALS
Customers who come into the store and ask for "crystals" often mean one of the following three things:
- Raw mineral that is unprocessed and where you can clearly see the crystal structure of the mineral.
- Crystalline materials, which includes all minerals (see the heading "minerals").
So when someone asks if the Crystal Room sells crystals, the answer is yes yes, in every way!