It used to be, people really believed in Alchemy and believed the Alchemist was one of the greatest........

Now people can do and do better what nature can do.......

Indeed. Our ancestors wouldn't be able to believe what is possible now.

It also makes me think about how we aquire our beloved crystals and stones now. There is no denying that there is great value in the crystals we collect and wear. They are marvels of nature created over millions of years. There is something magical being able to hold them in your hand.

At the same time there are a lot of negatives that we often don't choose to think about. A lot of these crystals and stones are being sold for weapons for war causes. Mining is often done by people (and children at times) who do dangerous work and often get underpaid, not being able to make a decent living while others not facing the dangers walk away with the profits.
Also, it often does unreparable damage to nature.
These are uncomfortable things to think about but they are reality.

It made me look different at 'manmade' gems. I'm not quite sure where I stand on them but I have to admit that they are a more ethical choice in a lot of cases. I think they deserve their place and it will be interesting how people will look at this in the future.

I have a couple large pieces of Silicon. Silicon is an Element and is not found by itself.... She is always combined with something else.

Another Element is Oxygen. Oxygen is something we all know about because we need to breath it in to our lungs with each breath to stay alive.

Next try combining these two Elements to produce Quartz.

I can't do it. Who can?

Actually there is Siberian Blue Quartz which is made in a lab. The interesting thing is that it also pops up in respected metaphysical books.

Lab grown quartz crystals that I have seen, are gorgeous.

The hydrothermals that I got as a present are very vibrant in color and very sparkly. I can see why people like them and are attracted to them.

I was very disappointed when I discovered I only have three "natural" Citrine in my entire collection. The rest are heat-treated Amethyst.