In this protective dome sits an absolutely beautiful lab-grown crystal of manganese metal. This is an element with a dual personality. Cheap and easily available it is extensively used in steelmaking as an additive that imparts both additional hardness and resistance against corrosion. The irony is that manganese by itself is brittle and easily corrodes. And as temperature increases so does its vulnerability to oxidation… so much so that after a few hundred degrees the attraction between Mn and O is so great that the reaction is explosive and separating the two becomes an enormous challenge.

Here in this case manganese is grown in a vacuum machine well away from the spoiling effects of oxygen. Each cluster, weighing around 250g each and roughly 50mm tall, is housed in a sturdy glass dome. The intricate branching patterns formed make for a truly impressive presentation piece!