The Crystal Corner

[Jennifer_P]

Welcome to the Crystal Corner, where you are free to talk with an actual living student geologist (with an obvious pet peeve) about crystals. Ask me any question, and I will try to answer it to the best of my (admittedly limited) knowledge. If you have comments about the Crystal Signature Series, you can post those here too. Thanks for visiting, and remember, DEATH to conveniently placed patches of giant glowing crystals! DEAAATH!!!

[Robert The Rebuilder]

*me, a blatant abuser of crystal luminosity, steps up to the plate*

OK - we all know now that crystals themselves do not emit light. But, they are great conduits of light, right? So, if you did happen to see a massive crystalline structure all aglow, chances are that there is a large light source behind it.

Does that pass your "giggle test"?

[Chacal]

Let's buy this gift for Jennifer:
http://www.artemiswoman.com/Salt_Crystal_Lamp.html

[Jennifer_P]

OK - we all know now that crystals themselves do not emit light. But, they are great conduits of light, right? So, if you did happen to see a massive crystalline structure all aglow, chances are that there is a large light source behind it.

Does that pass your "giggle test"?

That would work, heheheheehehee!
Ahhhhh, but crystals can emit light. They simply will not do so forever without having their energy source renewed. In the case of triboluminescence, rubbing a crystal can cause it to emit light. Other crystals will luminesce if you shine black light on them. But, no power source, no glow! Unpowered, glowing crystals are the energy equivalent of torches that never consume all their fuel and burn out and flashlights that never use up their batteries and die. Seeing what I mean?

Let's buy this gift for Jennifer:
http://www.artemiswoman.com/Salt_Crystal_Lamp.html

Wow, my very own indoor salt lick/lamp. I'm really touched, Chacal!

[Trylon]

What if I put a slight radioactive element in my crystals, and the surrounding crystal material tunes down the energy into visible light?

Much like fluorescent lamps.

[pappou]

Well, at least Jen is not in danger of putting mystical pyramids and crystals under her bed. But...

... does this really mean that my crystals have not been humming at me? As i sit in my spider chair at home, am i wrong to feel that they have been humming and singing and telling me the new wave of the future?

Tell me it ain't so! First Sandy Claws; then the Great Pumpkin went down the tubes. What about my zen motorcycle? What about Johnny Cash? Is nothing sacred anymore?

[Jennifer_P]

What if I put a slight radioactive element in my crystals, and the surrounding crystal material tunes down the energy into visible light?
Much like fluorescent lamps.

With what little investigation I've done on this so far, I'm inclined to think it would work, although the consequences of this method will have to be looked into in order to determine whether it would really work. I'll keep working on it. And very original idea!

... does this really mean that my crystals have not been humming at me? As i sit in my spider chair at home, am i wrong to feel that they have been humming and singing and telling me the new wave of the future?

Alas, I am afraid not, unless of course you play your crystals like the ARMD team's ahnomeprad crystal-based instrument with a vocal accompaniment. It's pretty neat: http://musicdni.blogspot.com/

[Moiety Jean]

Unpowered, glowing crystals are the energy equivalent of torches that never consume all their fuel and burn out and flashlights that never use up their batteries and die. Seeing what I mean?

What.. you mean, like, .... firemarbles? ;D

[Jennifer_P]

What.. you mean, like, .... firemarbles? ;D

Unpowered, glowing crystals are the energy equivalent of torches that never consume all their fuel and burn out and flashlights that never use up their batteries and die. Seeing what I mean?

What.. you mean, like, .... firemarbles? ;D

Hey, firemarbles run out of power; they seem to be reenergized by being moved around. (And of course, nobody knows if firemarbles are crystals or not.)

[Quatermain]

So how about that rare kind of crystal that glows for only a short while (upon irradiation by some energy waves) renewed often by a source of energy such as the GZ machine's waves?