Great Green Idea: Green Jewelry: Is Crystal Jewelry Green?

Is Crystal Jewelry Green?

Do we mean to ask, is crystal jewelry green, or is crystal jewelry green.

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Green crystal jewelry (the color) most definitely is; however if the question asked is "is crystal jewelry green" as in the ecological and environmentally friendly term, then the answer is mixed.

Many of the so called crystals available on the market today are not what you would call "real" crystals, many being made from quartz sand, blended with natural minerals, (including lead) heated to an extremely high temperature and then cooled to form what is marketed as crystal.

There is a certain company (whose name I shall not mention here as I do not want to advertise) whose crystal production contains a minimum of 32 percent lead. Lead is required to be added to the mixture of quartz sand and other minerals so that the grinding down and shaping process can be carried out on the finished product. If lead was not added, the finished product would not be able to withstand any subsequent cutting and engraving process used to shape or pattern the crystals.

Lead is added in order to maximize the refraction of the crystal, but subsequent to the addition of lead to the manufacturing process, various chemicals are used as a coating to create the various and many colors of the crystal.

Clear crystals are very difficult to produce because they need to be pure, and the addition of the lead makes this very difficult, if not virtually impossible.

The cutting process used to engrave or cut to shape the finished crystals is very energy intensive, and is basically the same process used to cut diamonds.

As well as the cutting and engraving process being very energy intensive, the production process is very energy intensive as well. For lead to melt, it has to be heated to at least 327.46 degrees centigrade to melt, but to be blended with the quartz sand and other minerals it needs to be heated to a higher temperature.

The energy alone needed to do this is huge, and not particularly efficient. The metal has to be heated in large containers till it melts, then the other ingredients are added to make the final crystal and no, they are not made in individual sized crystals, but into ingots from where the small crystals we all know so well are cut from, shaped and engraved.

While wearing of crystals is not detrimental to anyone' health or well being, the production process is most definitely not environmentally friendly, or is it an eco warrior's best fantasy dream.

However, while there is a (huge) market for crystals, and no laws are being broken, then there is little that can be done to stop it. Except don't buy them.

So the question of whether crystal jewelry is green is yes, if they are not industrially made. However if they are industrially made, lead smelting and industrial chemical processes can be deemed to be not environmentally friendly, so the answer has to be no.

Ultimately it is up to the individual's conscience on whether to buy a "green" crystal or a "green" crystal.