Submitted by Acceptable_Shift_247 t3_10na2gk in askscience
QuitBeingALilBitch t1_j69ck9t wrote
Reply to comment by muskytortoise in can gemstones be melted into a gradient? by Acceptable_Shift_247
I'm aware that melting changes the structure, and I didn't say it would keep the color, I even suggested that it wouldn't have the gradient op was looking for and would be more of a seam than a mixture. I was imagining exactly what you described: two crystals joined by an amorphous obsidian like glass.
muskytortoise t1_j69f98d wrote
But what's the point then? Gluing them together or placing them next to each other would make for a much nicer final product. Maybe you could use some of the machines used in precision welding but those are designed for metals, so you would most likely need a custom one. In theory you can "melt together" any two objects that can melt but if the final result is completely irrelevant then what's the goal?
Either way, while I wasn't able to find studies that checked thermal stress in any gemstones I strongly suspect the crystals would crack if exposed to temperature gradients required to do that.
[deleted] t1_j6bbmtx wrote
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