Crystal Animal Figurines
Crystal animal figurines are technically made from natural stone or crystal and with the increasing availability of lab grown crystals, the chances of coming across fake crystal animal figurines is very high. If you consider how long glass has been available, it is fairly easy to that real crystal animal figurines may be difficult to sort out from other kinds.
Lab grown crystals can be produced in such a way that they fill a specific shape among other things while this may produce wonderful crystal figurines. This is not the same thing as having one that was carved from a natural stone. Even if lab grown crystal animal figurines are flawless, they will still lack the character and the presence of an object carved from quartz or other optically clear stones.
No two crystal animal figurines will look exactly the same for the most part because the artist must carve into the stone with rotary stools and other equipment; thus, the final item will then have little character features to reflect this. Crystal animal figurines of the same basic design may easily differ from one another in the size of the nose or even the angle of a leg.
It should be noted though that it takes a good bit of time to create crystal animal figurines. Once a compatible stone is found, the rough shape must be carved out, then increasingly finer details. Finally, the polishing process for crystal animal figurines makes a permanent shiny surface even for a small object. This process can take week and even up to months to accomplish. The more detailed the object, the more time it will take to polish it.
If you are lucky enough to find a reputable craftsman, he is then bound to have a good number of crystal animal figurines for you to choose from. If you are interested in antique crystal animal figurines, you can also find some very beautiful ones of fluorite from Italy. You can expect crystal animal figurines of any age to be somewhat expensive.
As may be expected, crystal animal figurines can be found almost anywhere. They are typically cast in the thousands. The problem is that they may be falsely described as being made from crystal and chances are, once you receive such an item, you will know immediately that it is not made of crystal. Many other characteristics it may have are tiny air bubbles that are formed as glass cools and seams or other markings to indicate how the mold was designed.
Even though there are many counterfeit crystal animal figurines, finding a real one is still possible. The best thing you can do is to be aware that lab grown crystals and glass can and often are passed off as natural crystals. Before shopping for crystal animal figurines, you may want to purchase some natural stones and become familiar with their features. This will help you determine if the object you are looking for is really made out of natural crystal or some other substance.
