Crystal Growth & Light

Growing Crystals

• Growing simple crystals requires salt or sugar, water, ammonia and a bluing agent. These are mixed together and poured over a porous stone, like charcoal, which filters the minerals to its surface. When the little water left evaporates, crystals are formed. More complicated "recipes" exist that require boiling or the use of other compounds, like iron, for instance.

Sunlight

• When growing crystals, the components should always be kept out of direct sunlight. Sunlight will cause the water in the mixture to evaporate faster than the crystals can form. When trying to grow crystals on a rock, timing is important so that the crystals can grow where they are supposed to.

Light and Color

• When experimenting with different additives in crystals, white light is important to see the color of these crystals. White light contains all wavelengths, or colors, of light. The various additives in crystals absorb certain colors of light and reflect others. The reflected light is the color of the crystal being grown.