Crystal Wonder
In a recent pewter casting session, I cast a yoni-lingam (and two Venuses). It came out pretty well, but what was of special interest was the tiny crystal formations on the yoni-lingam, where the lingam meets the yoni. (No crystals on the Venuses.) Alex said that the crystals might depend on different rates of cooling of the object in the mould. So maybe that part cooled more slowly and it allowed these little crystals to form. Cool! Cool enough to inspire a little study of crystals: what they are and how they form. And then -imagine!- how fortuituous that a few weeks later my daughter and I should discover this crystal-making kit on the sidewalk outside a neighbour's house, sitting there for the taking. So we mixed up a solution on the stove called "Red Ruby Geode" (aluminum potassium sulphate). We poured in the crystals and then stirred to dissolve it in the heated water. Because warm water increases the material's solubility, the solution gets s...