A crystal is made up of the same materials that a regular glass is made of, such as silica, soda, and lime, but the addition of lead oxide is what gives crystals their shine. A bead has to have 24% lead oxide added to qualify as leaded crystal. Contrary to the popular belief, crystals have been around for a long time. Ancient Egypt, Rome, and other groups have all used crystals for various purposes. It was used in medicine, magic and rituals, as offerings and currency, as well as important gifts and items of beauty. Ancient civilizations were able to use crystals because natural crystals are dug from the ground where earth’s temperature and pressure causes them to form. However, one can make a crystal at home. It is a simple and easy process. The first step is making a supersaturated solution, a solution that contains excess solute that is then cooled down. Once the supersaturated solution cools down, a crystal seed forms. After you acquire the crystal seed, immerse it back into the supersaturated solution the crystal seed was formed from. A crystal’s total growth is dependent on what supersaturated solution it is immersed in. A crystal can be immersed in a supersaturated solution with the same chemical structure or in a supersaturated solution with a different chemical structure. However the crystal’s total growth will be greater if it is dissolved in a supersaturated solution with the same chemical structure because the supersaturated solution has a greater capability for the remaining solute to fix onto the crystal. Molecules are more likely to bond in a supersaturated solution with the same chemical structure.
Primarily, a crystal is a “matter formed from ordered arrangement of atoms, molecules, or ions” (Banfield, J., & Wallace, H. c., 2002). Crystals are easily identifiable because of their repeating units. All crystals can be classified either by their crystalline structure or by their physical/chemical properties. The