LARGE OPTICALLY CLEAR QUARTZ SPHERE - A FLAWLESS "CRYSTAL" BALL. ...

Description

LARGE OPTICALLY CLEAR QUARTZ SPHERE - A FLAWLESS "CRYSTAL" BALL
Brazil
This optically clear Quartz sphere has a very interesting history: originally the Quartz was mined in Brazil and purchased for the U.S. Defense National Stockpile. The National Stockpile was created shortly after World War II to acquire and store critical strategic materials for national defense purposes. Its primary mission is to protect the nation against dangerous and costly dependence upon foreign sources of supply for critical materials in times of national emergency. At the time, optical Quartz was critical for electronics and high-precision optics applications. But by 1994, this was no longer the case and the optical Quartz stockpile was auctioned off. This 87 mm diameter (3.43 inches) optically clear Quartz sphere is a direct result of that auction - since the rough Quartz came from that auction. Nowadays, it is extremely difficult to obtain the caliber of Quartz necessary to make a sphere greater than 3 inches in diameter with this level of optically flawless perfection. It is well polished with perfect concentricity: one can use this "crystal ball" as a lens, objects viewed through it are perfectly clear, just upside down. A strong caution applies: do not leave this sphere in sunlight - because it is a large and powerful sphere, it can start a fire with considerable ease.

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