Madagascan Clear Quartz Sphere - 51mm, 186g
Regular price
£28.99
Sale
Locality - Madagascar
Size – 51mm
Weight – 186g
Size – 51mm
Weight – 186g
This quartz sphere features an icy white and glassy clear interior with beautifully bright, silvery internal reflective veils within, some of which show faint rainbows (as photographed). This sphere will be accompanied by a wooden stand as shown.
About Quartz
Quartz is the most common mineral found on the surface of the Earth, occurring in virtually every locality. Pure crystals are colourless, transparent and hard, though many are coloured by natural processes such as irradiation or by the presence of certain elements within them. These coloured varieties include the popular gemstones amethyst, purple quartz, and citrine, yellow quartz. Some quartz crystals have unique inclusions of minerals that have grown within them, such as golden rutile, tourmaline or chlorite, and others may show silvery reflective internal veils and bright rainbows. Whilst the majority of quartz is created from molten magma that has cooled and crystallized, much quartz also chemically precipitates from hot hydrothermal veins. Well-formed crystals deep within the Earth can reach colossal sizes, with some measuring several meters in length and weighing hundreds of kilograms.
Crystal Balls in History
Crystal balls, also known as 'orbuculums', have been used by various different people for different reasons for thousands of years. The earliest use of a crystal ball can be first attributed to the Celtic Druids in 2000BC who divined the future and omens with beryl balls. Beryl was later replaced by clear quartz as the standard material from which they were crafted which is even more reflective and translucent. In the 1st century AD, Pliny the Elder describes use of crystal balls by soothsayers. By the 5th century AD, scrying - whereby images communicating meaningful information are claimed to be seen in crystals - was widespread within the Roman Empire and was condemned by the early medieval Christian Church as heretical. In the middle ages, many diviners and fortune tellers - seers, wizards, gypsies and sorcerers - used crystal balls to see into the past and future and used for acts of clairvoyance (communication with the dead). Dr John Dee (1527-1608), Queen Elisabeth I consultant, was known for his use of the crystal ball in his works, which he believed acted as a communication device between him and angels. Crystal gazing was a popular pastime in the Victorian era, and was claimed to work best when the Sun is at its northernmost declination. Immediately before the appearance of a vision, the ball was said to mist up from within. Today, many new age followers and crystal healers believe that due to their shape, crystal ball emanate their healing energy in all directions and so are more effective and more powerful than other shaped crystals. To this day, they remain iconic and popular.