Man-made crystals: A review of their historic and contemporary context and use

Boons, Sofie

Abstract

This paper reports on the history and use of man-made crystals for jewelry in a contemporary context. The cross-disciplinary contextual review traces human fascination with gemstones back centuries, and covers key developments in their "imitation."The infiltration of these man-made crystals in the market sparked the development of the discipline of gemology, through which they are often painted in a negative light. With innovations in the growth of man-made crystals revolutionizing other industries (engineering, technology, etc.), and their distinction from mined crystals increasingly more challenging, the paper reports on the terminology prescribed to the industry to describe man-made and mined crystals. These descriptions, which include "natural"and "real"versus "synthetic,"are interrogated in relation to key texts and a need for the identification of an alternative terminology is proposed. The jewelry industry remains apprehensive about the influx of man-made crystals, and only a small number of man-made crystal suppliers are growing crystals for the purpose of creative exploration beyond the imitation of mined crystals for jewelry. Through the review of artifacts, where man-made crystals have been used, their ability to enable creativity is highlighted, and their further future creative possibilities explored.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 21, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Nov 12, 2021
• Publication Date: Nov 12, 2021
• Deposit Date: Nov 15, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 15, 2021
• Journal: International Journal of Design in Society
• Print ISSN: 2325-1328
• Electronic ISSN: 2325-1360
• Publisher: Common Ground Research Networks
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 63-71
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-1328/cgp/v15i02/63-71
• Keywords: Urban Studies; Visual Arts and Performing Arts; Cultural Studies
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/8073349