Day 357by *FramedByNature

Photography / Macro / Objects

Day 357 of 365

Couldn't resist taking some shots of the Bismuth crystal *GeorgiaPeaches sent me for Christmas

She bought it right here on dA from ~BeeblebroxZ. Check out his work, it's fantastic! [link]

A little info on Bismuth: It's 86% as dense as Lead, but has an unusually low toxicity for a heavy metal. It was recently discovered that it's slightly radioactive (it's half-life is more than a billion times the estimated age of the universe). It is known for it's stair-stepped structure, and exhibits iridescent colors upon oxidization.

Basically, it's a badass metal that reminds me of Tetris

~PhotonPhreak Jan 4, 2012

Sweet! Now I have to go dig out my rock collection and find mine.

~Chisaru Dec 30, 2011 Student General Artist

I have one of these! It's kinda pale...but we were in a mineral shop and I asked for it for my birthday. Fascinating how it can be lab grown....I'm a little sad that a small chunk has broken off but it's still nice to look at