• Question: How many colours can a crystal be

    Asked by boar532data62 to niamhtopping, Katherine, jonathanmound, Catherine Mcquillan on 22 Oct 2025. This question was also asked by cozy532data62.
    • Photo: Niamh Topping

      Niamh Topping answered on 22 Oct 2025:

      There’s not really a limit on the number of colours, but there are lots of different things that determine what colour a crystal/mineral will be! Many of the most popular crystals (like amethyst or quartz) are actually all the same chemicals, they’re just silicon dioxide (SiO2). Factors such as temperature and pressure are what can make the colour differences. When amethyst (purple) is heated up, it becomes a “new” crystal called citrine (which is orange-y brown!)

    • Photo: Jonathan Mound

      Jonathan Mound answered on 22 Oct 2025:

      Crystals come in all colours. Any colour you can think of, there will be a crystal with that colour. The colours come from the mix of elements that the crystals are made of. That mix can change within a single crystal – so a single crystal can have more than one colour. For example, Tourmaline is a mineral that has crystals that are often both pink and green – it looks a bit like watermelon.

Comments