Crystal Growing Projects

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Crystal Flower

It's easy to crystallize a real flower, such as this thistle. Anne Helmenstine

Find Crystal Projects by Photo

Use this photo gallery to pick a crystal growing project based on how the finished project will look. This is an easy way to look for the types of crystals you would like to grow!

This is a quick do-it-yourself project that preserves a special real flower by coating it with sparkling crystals. You can use artificial flowers, too. Learn How

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Rock Candy Sugar Crystals

Rock Candy Swizzle Sticks. Laura A., Creative Commons

Rock candy sugar crystals are grown using sugar, water, and food coloring. You can eat these crystals.

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Copper Sulfate Crystals

Copper sulfate crystals are a vivid blue color. The crystals are easy to grow and can become quite large.

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Chrome Alum Crystal

This is a crystal of chrome alum, also known as chromium alum. The crystal displays the characteristic purple color and octohedral shape. Ra'ike, Wikipedia Commons

Chromium alum or chrome alum crystals are easy to grow and are naturally purple. You can mix the chrome alum with regular alum to grow crystals anywhere from deep purple to pale lavender in color.

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Potash Alum Crystal

This is a crystal of potassium alum or potash alum. Food coloring was added to these crystals, which are clear when the alum is pure. Anne Helmenstine

This interesting crystal grows very quickly and easily.

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Ammonium Phosphate Crystal

This single crystal of ammonium phosphate grew overnight. The green-tinted crystal resembles an emerald. Ammonium phosphate is the chemical most commonly found in crystal growing kits. Anne Helmenstine

Monoammonium phosphate crystals are extremely easy to grow yourself. You can grow a mass of crystals or grow large single crystals.

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Alum Crystals

In the Smithsonian kits, these are called 'frosty diamonds'. The crystals are alum on a rock. Anne Helmenstine

Alum crystals are promoted as 'diamonds' in crystal growing kits. While they aren't diamonds, they are beautiful clear crystals that can be grown to resemble diamond crystals.

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Baking Soda Crystals

These are crystals of baking soda or sodium bicarbonate that have grown overnight on a pipecleaner. Anne Helmenstine

You can grow these baking soda crystals overnight.

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Borax Crystal Snowflake

Borax crystals are safe and easy to grow. Anne Helmenstine

Borax crystals can be grown over pipecleaners to make snowflake decorations or other shapes, such as crystal hearts or stars. Natural borax crystals are clear.

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Crystal Geode

You can make your own geode using plaster of paris, alum, and food coloring. Anne Helmenstine

You can make your own crystal geode much more quickly than nature can, plus you can customize the colors.

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Emerald Crystal Geode

This is a plaster geode of emerald ammonium phosphate crystals. — This crystal geode was made by growing green-tinted ammonium phosphate crystals overnight in a plaster geode. Anne Helmenstine

Grow this crystal geode overnight using plaster for the geode and a non-toxic chemical to make simulated emerald crystals.

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Epsom Salt Crystal Needles

Epsom salt crystals needles grow in a matter of hours. You can grow clear or colored crystals. Anne Helmenstine

Epsom salt crystal needles can be grown in any color. These crystals are nice in that they grow very quickly.

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Magic Rocks

Magic rocks aren't technically crystals, but an example of precipitation. Magic rocks form a 'crystal' garden when sodium silicate reacts with colored metal salts.

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Epsom Salt Crystals

Epsom salt or magnesium sulfate crystals are easy to grow. The crystals are most often clear or white, though they will pick up color from food coloring or dyes.

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Halite or Salt Crystals

Crystals of sodium chloride, also called halite or table salt. — Crystals of halite, which is sodium chloride or table salt. from "Minerals in Your World" (USGS and Mineral Information Institute)

Salt crystals can be dyed to grow any color. These are beautful cubic crystals.

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Salt Crystal Geode

A salt crystal geode is a fun and sparkly kitchen chemistry project.

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Sheet Crystals

These crystals only take seconds or minutes to form and can be made in any color you like.

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Baking Soda Stalactites

It's easy to simulate the growth of stalactites and stalagmites using household ingredients. Anne Helmenstine

Baking soda crystals are white. You can grow them on a string to make crystal stalagmites and stalactites.

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Salt and Vinegar Crystals

You can grow interesting salt and vinegar crystals on pieces of sponge, brick, or charcoal. The crystals will pick up color from dyes or food coloring so you can create a rainbow effect.

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Salt Crystal Rings

When the salt evaporates it leave rings. I used blue food coloring so these rings sort of resemble waves, don't you think?. Anne Helmenstine

These salt crystal rings are among the quickest crystals you can grow.

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Crystal Snow Globe

The snow in this snow globe consists of benzoic acid crystals. This is a fun project for the winter holidays.

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Storm Glass

Crystals that grow on a storm glass can be used to help forecast the weather. This is an interesting advanced crystal growing project.

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Glow in the Dark Crystals

These easy-to-grow alum crystals glow in the dark. — These easy-to-grow alum crystals glow, thanks to the addition of a little fluorescent dye to the crystal growing solution. Anne Helmenstine

The color these crystal glow depends on the dye that you add to the solution. This project is very easy and can be used to produce large crystals. Try it!

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Crystal Snowflake Decoration

The crystal solution used to make this snowflake was 3 tablespoons of borax in 1 cup of boiling water. The snowflake decoration could have been made from other crystal solutions, such as from salt, sugar, alum, or epsom salts.

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Black Borax Crystals

You can grow borax crystals in any color, including black. — Grow Black Crystals You can grow borax crystals in any color -- even black! These crystals were growing using black food coloring. Anne Helmenstine

The big difference between growing black crystals and growing clear crystals is that you can't watch the crystals develop because the growing solution is too dark. Even so, black crystals are extremely easy to grow.

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Copper Acetate Crystals

These are crystals of copper(II) acetate grown on a copper wire. Choba Poncho, public domain

Crystals of copper acetate monohydrate are easy to grow.

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Potassium Dichromate Crystals

Potassium dichromate crystals grow easily from reagent-grade potassium dichromate. This is one of the few chemicals that produces natural orange crystals.

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Crystal Window

You can "frost" a window with Epsom salt crystals, even when it's hot outside. The frost effect is perfect for winter holiday decorating. Anne Helmenstine

This project is quick, easy and reliable. You'll get crystal frost within minutes. The effect lasts until you wipe it away with a damp cloth... Try it

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Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Crystal Projects Photo Gallery." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/crystal-projects-photo-gallery-4064199. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2021, February 16). Crystal Projects Photo Gallery. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/crystal-projects-photo-gallery-4064199 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Crystal Projects Photo Gallery." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/crystal-projects-photo-gallery-4064199 (accessed May 31, 2023).