Question about crystal ball
Dan
Let me ask if the following crystal ball :
http://www.wehug.com/quartz-crystal-ball--Blu-recon-4-0-9053a.JPG
Is made in the same way that a ball of glass is made or that crystal
needs special technology ?
(This specific ball costs $153.00) .
Thanks,Dan
Mike Firth
These Chinese quartz crystal balls are manufactured by pulverizing pure,
natural Quartz crystal and then, melting the powder down in order to form a
solid crystal block. Then master craftsmen hand carve these exquisite balls.
They are not glass, nor is lead used in the process. They are re-constituted
Quartz Crystal. Due to the high Quartz content, they are very clear and
uniquely beautiful. They have virtually no distortion or bubbles. Each ball
is individually boxed and is delivered with a carved oriental rosewood
stand.
This makes it clear how the item is made. Normally, I would not expect a
glass ball to be made this way - it would either be formed from molten
glass, either to a near sphere or to a working blank - or it would be cast.
Then the result would be polished mechanically. Notice that a "solid
crystal block" does not have to be a cube or flat sided, it could be a cast,
almost perfect sphere.
This ball is 110 mm (over 4 inches) in diameter. If as clear as shown in
the pictures, it is probably a good price. If it were really a solid piece
of quartz (not reconstituted) this size, I suppose it would cost something
in the thousands.
--
Mike Firth
Furnace Glass Web Site/Hot Glass Bits
http:// users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/start.htm (remove space to make link)
"Dan" <dan...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:20dcab24.02031...@posting.google.com...
Dan
Thanks a lot for your detailed answer Mike,
Let me ask if an expert like you can regognize from the picture alone
that this is indeed Quartz and not just glass ?
Dan
Eugene F. Williams
Although I havent bothered to look at the pictures, from what I have read in
this thread leads me to believe that.......
There is a very high probability that these quartz balls most likely are
glass.
If you smack them with a hammer you will get concoidal (sp?) fractures as
opposed to smaller crystals.
In order for pulverized pure natural quartz crystal to actually become crystal
again (after being fused) is for a special seed crystal to be dropped down on a
wire (induction furnace) and the crystal "pulled" out of the molten media.
If you melt the pulverized pure natural quartz and dont use a seed crystal to
"start" it with guess what....you got glass.
Making quartz glass is in itself a very difficult process and the techniques and
temperaturesinvolved for the most part vary widely from those used for
borosilicate or soda lime glasses manufacture.
For more info visit the heraus site or some other quartz company site.
Kraig
hotg...@madriver.com
Crystal Ball
it is a link to our crystal ball page that brought us into
this thread and another member of this NG has asked me if
I wanted to reply.
In regard to these "Chinese reconstituted quartz crystal
spheres, I have been asked / challenged on just one other
occasion about whether these are "Quartz" spheres or "Glass"
spheres. First of all for the record, I am neither a gemologist
nor a glass expert, I am a merchant with over 12 years in the trade.
I state this only because no company that takes advantage of
or try to deceive their customers would still be in business
this long.
I can only say that we have been strongly reassured by our supplier
that these spheres are not "glass" but rather reconstituted quartz
as described on our web page featuring these balls.
They are clearly separated under a different header description
from our natural quartz crystal balls.
It is unfortunate that we do not have the excess funds to take
a hammer to these spheres or to our natural quartz balls, as
suggested else where, to see what would happen. If I had to guess
, I would say both would turn in to clear jagged chunks of
destroyed crystal balls.
The bottom line is always about the money. The serious collector
that wants the real deal "natural quartz spheres" wouldn't look
twice at these "Chinese spheres" but also wont mind spending the
kind of money it takes to buy real deal spheres. For the rest of us,
average folk that just thought it would be great to have a
"crystal ball" on our office desk or home coffee table, then the
price of the "Chinese spheres" might be more in line with our budgets.
I have had to pay more for "lead glass" spheres of the same size, so the
so called "glass" balls aren't necessarily cheaper than these "Chinese
spheres". In the end what's the difference, the "serious collector"
knows and is willing to pay for his / her treasures and the person
buying a decoration for home or office doesn't really care except
for price.
I will say that these "Chinese spheres" have lost their double
refraction attribute that quartz exhibits so something has
changed in the process, I haven't checked the specific gravity
yet. Maybe some one out there in the group could furnish this
if they have access to one of these spheres.
Kind Regards,
Mike @ The Crystal Ball Inc.
http://www.wehug.com/crystal_ball.html
Glenn G.
"Crystal Ball" <sh...@wehug.com> wrote in message
news:3CB4F6F3...@wehug.com...
> This is Mike McKnight co owner of The Crystal Ball Inc.
> it is a link to our crystal ball page that brought us into
> this thread and another member of this NG has asked me if
> I wanted to reply.
>
> I will say that these "Chinese spheres" have lost their double
> refraction attribute that quartz exhibits so something has
> changed in the process, I haven't checked the specific gravity
> yet. Maybe some one out there in the group could furnish this
> if they have access to one of these spheres.
>
> Kind Regards,
> Mike @ The Crystal Ball Inc.
> http://www.wehug.com/crystal_ball.html
>
If you are selling them then you should have access... You would not
destroy it by measuring the SG... Maybe your source is jerking you on
these. It is your good name that is at stake. Some Chi-Com factory man
won't give a crap. You should test one...
BTW: I have not looked, but is the SG of quartz that different from glass
(I guess it depends on the glass)..? Wouldn't you be able to tell it was
quartz with some sort of spectorscopy?
Regards,
G^2
Terry Harper
news:3cb53...@spamkiller.newsgroups.com...
>
> BTW: I have not looked, but is the SG of quartz that different from glass
> (I guess it depends on the glass)..? Wouldn't you be able to tell it was
> quartz with some sort of spectorscopy?
If it is quartz, then SG=2.65 approx. Typical SLS glass about 2.5.
The UV/IR transmission spectrum should also give an indication of its
nature. Quartz transmits more in the UV than most glasses. Artificial
silica, made by the Verneuil process, has characteristic water absorption
bands in the IR.
--
Terry Harper
http://www.terry.harper.btinternet.co.uk/
Glenn G.
Regards,
G^2
"Terry Harper" <Terry....@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:a954fi$er1$1...@paris.btinternet.com...
Ahmed
Forgive my ignorance but I once saw SG for Stained Glass , I assume
that here the S is for spectrum or spectroscopy so what is SG in
this context ?
Thanks
Moonraker
of water it displaces. Right, G^2??
"Ahmed" <ahmed...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:8a9347ac.02041...@posting.google.com...
Glenn G.
the ratio of the mass of the substance to the mass of water and is directly
related to the density of the object.
Sorry for the confusion. I should have been more specific.
Regards,
G^2
"Moonraker" <moon...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:B6Dt8.64986$VM5.24...@e3500-atl1.usenetserver.com...
user
grinding, polishing, repair/fabricate etc.
I am not sure if the specific gravity of quartz crystal is that measurably
different from quartz glass.
All I stated is that if you melt quartz dust, powder, chunks, or frit or silicon
dioxide and extrude it, pour it, slump it, cast it, or do anything with it (in a
non-devitrified state) it's glass. Making/melting quartz glass is quite a feat
in itself and certainly more difficult then boro/lead/soda glass by a magnitude.
In order for the molecules to get realigned into a crystalline lattice
structure, the stock for these balls would have to be pulled with a seed
crystal into a log. It takes a special machine. Or geological forces and time. A
lot of time.
These logs typically at present are the size of a 45 rpm (revolutions per
minute) record and lately up to the size of a 33 LP (long playing) record (i.e.
300 MM diameter). It's a pretty amazing process.
Check with any quartz glass fabricator or foundry (wafer fab) engineer. They
will tell you the same thing. Unless there's a new shaman in town with next wave
alchemy, I am pretty solid on this. I will post later some wafer manufacturers
if there is interest. Most foundries no longer pull/slice/grind their own.
The fracture test I recommended is one commonly used by rock hounds as is a
scratch test to help ID (identify) unknowns. Obsidian and glass (soda lime,
boro, lead ,quartz, meteor) two materials that will go conchoidal (sp?..
spelling) which I would describe as round layered rings when smacked.
Another interesting quartz (glass) tidbit...as long as its soaked properly you
can pull work out of the lehr ripping hot +1100C (Celsius) and set it on the
hearth (at room temp) to cool down with zero rainbow in the polariscope. Really.
Here's a Question..How do they make synthetic sapphire (alumina) windows?
Geez....I cant believe I just told anyone to go talk to an engineer. :)
Kraig
hotg...@madriver.com
Ola
> Nice try Mike........
>
> Although I havent bothered to look at the pictures, from what I have read in
> this thread leads me to believe that.......
>
> There is a very high probability that these quartz balls most likely are
> glass.
>
> If you smack them with a hammer you will get concoidal (sp?) fractures as
> opposed to smaller crystals.
>
> In order for pulverized pure natural quartz crystal to actually become crystal
> again (after being fused) is for a special seed crystal to be dropped down on a
> wire (induction furnace) and the crystal "pulled" out of the molten media.
>
> If you melt the pulverized pure natural quartz and dont use a seed crystal to
> "start" it with guess what....you got glass.
>
> Making quartz glass is in itself a very difficult process and the techniques and
> temperaturesinvolved for the most part vary widely from those used for
> borosilicate or soda lime glasses manufacture.
>
> For more info visit the heraus site or some other quartz company site.
>
>
>
> Kraig
> hotg...@madriver.com
>
Let me ask then what are the exact 'scientific' definitions of
glass and quartz ?
Thanks,Ola
Mike Firth
Quartz is crystaline (molecules are rigidly arranged.)
Specific Gravity is not the amount of water displaced, but the ratio of the
weight/mass of the object to the weight of water it displaces. If 2.2 kg of
quartz displaces 1.0 kg of water when immersed, then the SG of quartz is
2.2. Since water weighs 1 gm/ml or 1 kg/liter, water displacement becomes
a convenient way to measure the volume of a material also.
--
Mike Firth
Furnace Glass Web Site/Hot Glass Bits
http:// users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/start.htm (remove space to make link)
"Ola" <olav...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:1ddac121.02041...@posting.google.com...
Dan
If you are after all correct in your claim what do you think about
the price of this ball ?
Thanks
Azmi Tamid
Here is another site that contains a description of the process .
It says :
"
They are not glass, nor is lead used in our manufacturing. They are
re-constituted Quartz Crystal.
"
http://www.phoenixphyre.com/pages/gallery/gal_cryball.html
Azmi
K.B.Richard
I will try to clear up misunderstanding without adding too much more
confusion.
Quartz is silica.
Glass is non-crystaline amophorous molecular structure. There are various
types of glass ie boro, lead, soda lime, quartz, lithium, and so on.
Quartz can be a glass or a crystal but not both at the same time.
One aspect of understanding the confusion is relative to the very old term
"lead crystal" which implies that glass is crystal. It is not. It is glass
which is the exact opposite of crystal , (speaking molecularly.)
"Lead Crystal" is using the term crystal to describe the clarity of the
glass, not its molecular structure.
That is what the website/manufacturers of the "quartz crystal" balls are
doing. Using crystal in this very old "established" term as description of
clarity. The only thing is while the misnomer is well established in
literature and history concerning "Full Lead Crystal", quartz glass
certainly has less historical background in being refered to that way, since
it is a relatively new material.
The folks using the lions share of the quartz crystal and quartz glass are
involved with processes where the alignment differences in molecular
structure aspects do have an impact. I for one am less apt to go along with
the misnomer because of that reason. Call it quartz glass. Say it's crystal
clear.
Thats still a great price for the balls by the way. Look up quartz glasses
in any sites or catologs and see what I mean. The stuff aint cheap.
Another tidbit (for the day after 4/20) most of the quartz crystal is doped
ie adulterated before ions are implanted in it.
Everybody reading this is sitting a few feet away from some doped quartz
crystal that was handeled in quartz glass wafer boats and heated in quartz
glass furnace tubes. Your doped quartz crystal is most likely labeled as
INTEL/PENTIUM.
Regards,
Kraig
Let those who ride decide
"Ola" <olav...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
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