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

Boons, Sofie

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Abstract

This paper reports on the history and use of man-made crystals for jewellery 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 revolutionising 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 jewellery 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 jewellery. Through the review of artefacts, where man-made crystals have been used, their ability to enable creativity is highlighted, and their further future creative possibilities explored.

Presentation Conference Type Conference Paper (unpublished)
Conference Name 16th International Conference on Design Principles and Practices
Start Date Jan 19, 2022
End Date Jan 21, 2022
Deposit Date Feb 10, 2022
Keywords Man-made Crystals, Jewellery Design, Contextual Review
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9006872
Publisher URL https://cgscholar.com/cg_event/events/G22/proposal/56180



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