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Unusual Diamond Crystals
This page is a description of my collection of unusual diamond crystal
forms. They are all rough diamonds and natural. Most diamonds follow standard
crystallography of and extrapolations on octahedrons or cubes. But from those
basic structures, unusual clustering can form some very unique shapes. So,
here's my collection of unusual rough diamonds.
Intersecting cubes:
This is a very interesting occurrence. Intersecting cubes or clusters of
cubic diamond crystals are not too rare, but are rarely are cubes of gem quality
and clarity. In this case, two gem quality cubes are intersecting, and the sides
have been polished to allow a look inside. What is really odd about the view
inside is that on one of the faces, an optical illusion is created. You see a
six edged internal structure that does not relate to what you see from the
outside, nor can you see through the cube directly from that side: cover up the
other side and perpendicular sides and you still see the same thing! Mass: 2.10
ct.
Skeletal Diamonds:
This diamond has a unique form where it's a cube but the faces are collapsed
inward on all sides. Pretty unique, especially for a nice clear white diamond.
Mass: 2.34 ct
Macle cluster:
Macles are trigons or triangular diamond crystals. Usually they're singular but
rarely they form clusters. Here is a cluster of 3 macles attached together by a
4th. All are clear white diamonds. Mass: 2.56 ct.
Inverted Tetrahedron:
This is a very unique shape that I haven't heard of before nor do I have a
proper name for. What's going on here is that a tetrahedron has had all it's
corners inverted... Leaving 6 Y shaped trigon flat sides... or something like
that. It's rather impressive but difficult to photograph. Really neat to think
that corners can invert and grown inward like that. Another nice white diamond.
Mass: 0.66 ct.
Ballas cluster:
Diamond ballas are interesting spherical shapes that lack cleavage. Here is
a cluster of a string of them, although they may just be rounded diamond
growths, all clear and white. Mass: 2.36 ct
Elongated dodecahedron:
Crystal forms are not perfect, but here is an unusually elongated
dodecahedron crystal. It is a single stretched crystal, and not a fragment, you
can count all the faces. Mass: 2.08
Dual colored crystal:
Here's an interesting twined octahedron crystal where each crystal is a
different color. This is due to a color inclusion in one of the crystals and the
refraction spreads the color throughout one crystal. Mass: 0.32 ct
Octahedron-Ballas combo:
Here is an unusual situation where two clear white octahedrons are growing
out of a ballas sphere! Mass: 1.54 ct.
Octahedron twins and clusters:
Not too unusual but still neat:
Octo-twin one: 1.35 ct
Octo-twin 2: 0.73 ct
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