Bismuth Crystal with Iridescent Oxide

Above: Front of specimen card.   "The Philosopher takes pleasure in the contemplation of the nature of these compounds while the miner takes pleasure in the profit and use he obtains from the metals he extracts from them." ~ Georgius Agricola, 1546 This specimen is a complete bismuth crystal. They are hand cast in Colorado by a family that specializes in creating bismuth crystals for the jewelry industry. We loved them so much that we had to share them with you. Above: A pair of Bismuth crystals in hand. A classic piece for every natural history collection, Bismuth, element 83, is known best for its multicolor formations of a deep, staircase-like structure. These fractal patterns are known as hopper crystals, identifiable by their hollow step lattices. When bismuth cools it forms in a rhombohedral structure with the edges of the formation crystallizing at a much faster rate than the center of the faces. This pulls material away from the interior and leaves gaps in the structure, causi