Here’s another one for you to take a guess at. Is it a rock? Is it a crystal or gemstone? Or is it glass?
Not much is known about this specimen other than:
- it weighs approximately 7lbs
- Appears to be clear/ translucent
- Looks like it has a conchoidal fracture
- And if you look closely, it has bubbles
Do you think you know what it is?
What Is It?
What’s pictured above is called cullet glass. It’s pretty. It can be used for different lapidary and art projects, but it is not a natural stone, and it’s definitely not a crystal.
What is cullet glass?
Cullet glass is essentially recycled glass. It’s the broken or waste glass material that gets a second life. The process involves collecting glass containers, bottles, and other glass items, which are then cleaned, sorted by color, and crushed into small pieces. This recycled glass is then melted and reshaped into new products, ranging from bottles and jars to fiberglass and even decorative items.
And as you can see above, some cullet is available in large “chunks”.
There’s no denying that cullet glass can be attractive and fun to look at, as long as you remember that it’s simply just glass.
There are many unscrupulous vendors in the crystal business that will try to market this material as a “crystal”, the most common type being “andara crystals”.
You can learn more about Andara Crystals and learn what they are and aren’t here.
