Why do people have such a fascination for crystals, from long before quacks and charlatans started selling mumbo-jumbo on their restorative powers to a gullible populace?
Rarity? Small diamonds are relatively common, but the cartel originally created by Cecil Rhodes, hoards them and thus gives them a scarcity value.
A high refractive index, making them sparkle? Up to a point, but lead glass has a very high refractive index and yet people denigrate costume jewelery as "only glass".
Pretty colours? Yes, but far more colourful flowers are not held in such high esteem.
Early traders traded worthless (to them), shiny glass beds for valuable (to them) goods or slaves. Man seems to have a primitive "magpie" instinct.
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Some people like beautiful things..a beautiful woman...a beautiful mind....a beautiful painting ..and of course Gemstones cut and polished to sparkle...a girls best friend..lending beauty and status to it's owner..precious..rare beautiful..expensive and immortal...remember the song Diamonds are forever!
So what's not to like!
Hitchens
Level 8
May 25, 2018
2
I think it's the semi-permanency and the colors and, of course, the sparkly nature. But for me, personally, I look at a crystal and it awes me that so many of the perfect conditions had to exist for sometimes millions or billions of years for nature to achieve such small and insignificant beauty. I see the geometry, and the geology, and the chemistry, and I can't help but think, "this common rock formation took billions of years to make. And it is translucent without ever seeing light until recently. It is beautiful and it will last longer than I will." To me, that's fascinating.
Kafirah
Level 8
May 25, 2018
1
Given that these things are attractive and most people are magical thinkers, the trick is to exploit that and make money at their expense. Find a few words from an oriental language, for example, ishi (Japanese for stone) and kaze (Japanese for wind), then run them together into ishikaze, and now we have a new system to cure or alleviate all ailments based on "ancient" wisdom - we simply sell people crystals to stick up their arse. Got a cold? Here's a blue crystal that will make you feel better. Got gut problems? A black crystal will fix it. To complete the treatment after holding it there for as long as you can, just blast it out and you're guaranteed to feel better once you've done so. That'll be a hundred bucks, please!
David_Cooper
Level 7
May 25, 2018
1
Something is only as valuable as someone thinks it is. Value is not the same as price, which is a function of supply and demand. Gemstones and crystals are (relatively) rare examples of non-organic order in nature, and you can understand the mechanism but still be take by their structure and appearance. I'll admit I own a couple of rocks just because I like how they look and feel. But I have a fake diamond earring in right now too.
zeuser
Level 9
May 25, 2018
1
I have a large collection of garnets, mainly because about 35 miles away there is an extinct volcano, with an easily accessible crater, that contains thousands of them.
Luckily for me, I found my magic crystals using my divining rod. It must have been the hand of god that led me. These crystals have worked wonders in my life. Oh, I also have a pet magpie named "Heckle" who can talk but only to me. I interpret the squawking sounds he makes for my doctors and handlers in the home I'm in.
SamHarrisFan
Level 6
May 25, 2018
4
I interpret the squawking sounds he makes for my doctors and handlers in the INSTITUTION I'm in. Fixed that for you.
@jlynn37 Thank you, jlynn37. In my straitjacket, I stand corrected.
You said it best when you said "MAn seems to have primitive "magpie" instinct." I personally love it ALL. Rocks, flowers, animals, waterfalls...and have no need to possess any of it. No magpie instincts can overrule my knowledge of the instinct lol
CreativelyMe
Level 7
May 25, 2018
2
You did nothing value your enfagement ring ???
@VAL3941 Nope not really. Just a social symbol to me and another way fro the rich to stay that way. I would actually prefer a rock from the beach.
@CreativelyMe Any particular one ?
@VAL3941 Rock or beach?
@CreativelyMe
Does not really mattef, take your pick ?
@VAL3941 Amethyst hunting would be fun.
@CreativelyMe
But that is also a semi precious stone ? Semi precious like me ? LOL
@VAL3941 I told you I love it all! Semi precious is still precious! <3
@CreativelyMe
OK! You win. I will now keep quiet ! Lol
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