Introduction

*INTRODUCTION*
	Crystals have fascinated people from before the days of the Greeks, when Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23-79) believed that quarz found high in the Alps was water frozen so hard as to never thaw. The Greeks called this eternally frozen material "crystal," from the Greek for "clear ice" (Holden and Morrison, 17 & Smith, 7 & Desautels, 12). Today, crystals are found made of numerous and known mineral compounds. Diamond is pure carbon. Corundom (ruby and sapphire) is aluminum oxide [Al2O3]. Beryl (emerald and aquamarine) is aluminum beryllium silicate [Al2Be3(Si6O18)]. Most solid things arrange themselved in the form of crystals. Solids that do not are amorphous and won't be discussed here. Glass is typically given as an example of an amorphous solid, but it is technically a liquid. Opal is an amorphous solid. Crystals are classified into seven systems depending on their level of symmetry, including the crystal axes and the angles at which the axes intercept.
	Cubic System: All three axes have same length and intercept at right angles. Typical crystal shapes are the cube, octahedron, rhombic dodecahedron, icosi-tetrahedron, and hexacisochedron. Examples: Diamond, Garnet, Flourite, and Pyrite.
	Tetragonal System: The three axes intercept at right angles, but one axis is longer or shorter than the other two equal axes. Typical crystal shapes are four-sided prisms and pyramids, trapezohedrons and eight-sided pyramids, and double pyramids. Examples: Apophyllite, Chalcopyrite, Rutile, Vesuvian, and Wulfenite.
	Hexagonal System: Three of the four axes are in one plane, intercept at 120°, and are of the same length. The main axis is longer or shorter and is normal to the plane of the other three. Typical crystal shapes are hexagonal prisms and pyramids and twelve-sided pyramids and double pyramids. Examples: Apatite and Beryl.
	Trigonal System (rhombohedral system): Same axes as hexagonal, but having a cross section showing three-sided symetry instead of six-sided. Typical crystal shapes are three-sided prisms and pyramids, rhombohedra , and scalenohedra. Examples: Calcite, Quartz, Corundum, and Tourmaline.
	Orthorhombic System: The three axes are of different lengths and are at right angles to each other. Typical crystal shapes are basal pinacoids, rhombic prisms and pyramids, and rhombic double pyramids. Examples: Alexandrite, Topaz, Peridot, and Aragonite.
	Monoclinic System: The three axes are of different lengths and two are at right angles to each other. The third axis is inclided. Typical crystal shapes are basal pinacoids and prisms with inclided end faces. Examples: Epidote, Spodumede, and Gypsum.
	Triclinic System: All three axes are of different lengths and form oblique angles. Typical crystal shapes are paired faces. Examples: Kyanite, Amazonite, and Turquoise.
	To Growing Crystals