Crystals & Gems

By

Courtney Harris & Dayzia Trower

Ms. Watts

6th period

3/1/11

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Crystals & Gems
Introduction:
I. What is a crystal?
A. Description
1. Associated with perfection, transparency, and clarity
1. Based on the Greek word krystallos, derived by kryos, meaning icy
cold
2. Ancient times I was thought that rot crystals, a colorless variety of
quartz, was ice that had frozen so hard it would never melt.
A. Gem of a Crystal
1. Gemstones are naturally crystals chosen for their beauty, durability,
and, in many instances rarity
2. Crystals with the same composition in properties as naturally
occurring minerals can now be grown artificially and can cut as
gemstone
I. A world of Crystals
A. Types of crystals
1. Granite is the most characteristic rock of the earth’s outermost layer
3. Eclogite contains green pyroxene and small garnets
B. Stalagmites and Stalactites
1. Mostly made of calcite crystals
4. Stalagmites grow upward from the floor of a cave; and stalactites
grow downward from the caves ceiling
II. The colors of crystals
A. Crystal Colors
1. Sulfur is a mineral and is normally crystallizes and bright yellow
crystals
5. Azurite is a copper mineral which is always a shade of blue
6. Fluorite is green in daylight
C. Play of Colors
1. Produced when the light is affected by the physical structure of the
crystals
7. Twinning or cleavage planes are the main structures of the crystals
when it is affected by light
III. Natural Beauty
A. Beauty
1. Objects of great beauty and extreme rarity
2. A crystal’s condition must be right for it to grow
3. Many crystals can destroyed by people during mining
B. Description
1. Bournonite is a bright-gray crystal known as “cogwheel”.
2. Proustite are cherry-red crystals that can be known as ruby silvers
3. Topaz is a perfect crystal and is one of many crystals that were
found in the last century close to the Urulga River.
IV. Quartz
A. Description

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 1. Is silicon dioxide
2. Occurs as individual crystals and fine-grained masses in a large variety of
forms, patterns, and colors
3. Is tough and has no cleavage; is made for carving and cutting; it is very
popular as a gemstone
B. Single crystals
1. Colorless rock crystal with purple amethyst, rose quartz, smoking quartz,
in yellow citrine
2. Jasper is a random mass crystal with colorful purities
3. Chrysoprase is the finest vibrant green and is the most valuable of the
chalcedonies
V. Diamond
A. Description
1. Has great luster and fire, properties which are best revealed in the brilliant
cut
2. In Greek, diamond means “unconquerable” because of its hardness
3. They were formed up to 125 miles (200 km) deep within the earth
B. Famous diamonds
1. Have long recorded histories
2. Most belonged to the rich and famous
VI. Corundum
A. Description
1. Ruby and Sapphire are minerals of corundum, an aluminum oxide
2. Sapphire indicates its own blue stone
3. A sapphire can be yellow and pink too
B. Types of Corundum
1. Kashmir produces sapphires of the finest blue
2. The term Kashmir blue is often used to describe sapphires
VII. Beryl
A. Description
1. Popular as gems because of their fine colors
2. Emerald and aquamarine are most well-known varieties
B. Beryl Colors
1. Pure beryl is colorless
2. They can appear in red, pink, blue, yellow, and green
VIII. Crystals at work
A. Description
1. Play an important part in technology
2. Used in control circuits, machines, electronics, and medicine
B. Tools
1. Ruby rods use ruby crystals for the laser
2. Diamonds are used in sawing, drilling, grinding, and polishing
IX. Opal
A. Description
1. Ancient Romans use it as a symbol of power
2. One of the few noncrystalline gems

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 3. It can crack and chip if it’s near extreme temperature

B. Types
1. Nonflashy is a nonprecious opal without flashes of color called potch
opal
2. Rose opal is potch, but its striking colors led to being in beads
3. Precious opal can appear in flashes of different colors

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Courtney Harris and Dayzia Trower

Ms. Watts

6th period

3/4/11

CRYSTAL & GEM

Long ago in 2827 B.C., in a dark kingdom, a girl named Crystal and her

friend Gem went outside to play with their royal dog. They played with their dog

until they saw something shining in the dirt. They ran into the house to get their
bucket and shovel to discover the shining mystery. When they finished digging, they

discovered a shiny crystal. They didn’t know what kind of crystal it was, so they

went to Crystal’s parents and asked them to identify the crystal. After they showed

Crystal’s parents, the parents told the girls all about many different crystals.

Crystal’s mom told the story about why she named her daughter, Crystal.

She said, “A crystal is associated with perfection, transparency, and clarity because

you are perfect in every way to me.” So the two girls learned that Africa had many

crystals and gems. People in Africa found different rocks, and each told a story

about something that happened to people long ago. They learned that a sapphire

beheld the secret to the Underground Railroad. The diamond told the stories of

famous rich people that were very stingy and greedy.

They went to school the next day to ask their teacher which turned out to be

a field trip to AFRICA!!! Once they landed in Africa’s state Kenya, they both

started to explore. They went to a famous desert that was there and discovered that

there were long lost diamonds from centuries ago. Crystal found sapphires,

diamonds, and rubies. Gem found rose opals, a very special kind of rock, that

changed varies colors in the light. Once they wrote down notes, they headed back

home. When they got back, they hid their treasures in a beautiful, lavender, leather

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chest. They were so amazed about their treasures; they kept them all their lives then

passed them on to their children after they died.

THE END!!!

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 Works Cited
Harding, Dr. R. R. Crystal and Gem. New York: DK Publishing Inc., 2004. 6-
40. Print.