How to Make Your Own Colored Alum Crystals
Throughout history, people have been fascinated with crystals. Individuals have used them as beautiful jewelry pieces, in religious ceremonies, and even as healing objects and as energy sources. Crystals are created when molecules arrange themselves to form a repeated pattern, such as when material dissolves in a fluid and then solidifies. But just because there are chemical reactions involved in the process doesn't mean you can't grow your own colored crystal at home. While other crystals may require the use of a lab, alum crystals can be grown with common household items, plus alum powder, which is used in pickling recipes as a preservative.
Things You'll Need
- Approx. 3 oz. alum powder
- Food coloring
- Small mixing bowl
- Hot water
- Paper towels
- Glass jars (2 minimum)
- Spoon
- Pencil or ruler
- Approx. 2 feet nylon thread or nylon fishing line
Instructions
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1
Fill a glass jar 3/4 full with hot water. Pour alum into the jar while stirring the water. Add just enough alum to supersaturate the water, meaning the alum is no longer dissolving and instead begins to settle at the bottom.
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2
Add enough drops of food coloring to the water to turn it a vibrant shade of that color. Then cover the jar loosely with a paper towel--this prevents dust from entering the jar--and allow the water to cool completely, preferably overnight.
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3
Once the water has cooled completely, there should be small crystals at the bottom of the jar. Remove the largest and/or best-shaped crystal from the alum solution with a spoon and place it on a paper towel to dry completely. This will be the seed crystal from which a larger crystal will grow.
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4
Pour the alum solution into a clean jar. Tie one end of a strand of nylon thread around the seed crystal, and tie the other end around the halfway point of a pencil. The thread should be as long as needed to complete the task in Step 5.
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5
Lay the pencil across the top of the glass jar containing the alum solution so that the seed crystal is suspended in the water without touching the bottom or sides of the jar.
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6
Cover the jar loosely with another paper towel to prevent dust from entering the jar, and allow the seed crystal to grow as large as desired over the next several days or weeks.
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7
When small crystals begin to grow on the bottom or sides of the jar it means that too much alum in the water is contributing to the growth of those crystals instead of the growth of the seed crystal. Carefully remove the seed crystal, pour the solution into a clean jar and then carefully transfer the seed crystal to the clean jar.
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8
Repeat Step 7 as many times as necessary, adding enough alum to supersaturate the solution again after each jar change, plus a few more drops of food coloring if the color of the solution seems to be fading.
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Tips & Warnings
Alum can be found in the baking or spices sections of most grocery stores. It's important that the thread used be nylon, as crystals don't adhere to nylon. If regular string is used, crystals will form up and down the string.
Keep the work area and jars away from small children who might try to swallow the crystals or alum solution.
