Crack Your Own Geode

The colorless, transparent variety of quartz. Quartz is composed of silicon dioxide, the most common mineral in Earth’s crust after ice and feldspar. The name “rock crystal” emerged in the Middle Ages to differentiate it from colorless glass. The Greeks called water-color crystals krystalos, hence the name “crystal”. The name quartz comes from Old German, but its origins are unknown. Metaphysically, quartz is used for power, communication, and cleansing. Found worldwide, fine specimens of quartz can be found in Arkansas, Brazil, and Madagascar.

How To Crack Your Own Geode

There are many ways to open a geode.

Here are a few of our favorites:

(1) Score the geode first: using a flat-head screwdriver (or cold chisel) and a hammer, make a line of marks around the center of the geode by tapping lightly. Place the geode in an old sock and tap lightly with a hammer, increasing the strength of taps until the geode cracks open.

(2) Find a “nook” in your geode. Place a flat-head screwdriver or cold chisel into the “nook” and give it a good whack with your hammer. An old sock helps the pieces from flying across the room. This method may take a few tries.

(3) Just smash the whole thing with a hammer. It’s probably not going to break into 2 nice halves, but sometimes you just can’t wait to see the beauty inside.