Fakebusters: Bismuth

This, dear readers, is an odd Fakebusters.  On one hand, bismuth is a naturally occurring metal, while on the other, its classically sold form is modified.  This kind of makes it fall in to the same area as heat treated citrine, blue howlite and goldstone.  They have all originally come from a natural source, however they have all been modified. 

Bismuth is a heavy metal, one of the periodic table of the elements actually! To create the bismuth crystals, sometimes known as "hopper" crystals, bismuth is melted down with heat and then these crystals are drawn out of it. Because the bismuth cools rapidly it forms the wild patterns.  It is also not strictly a crystal, due to not being formed by build up of the elements. 

The colours are simply from oxidation of the bismuth, and you will find that some of your crystals will actually lose their colour after a period of time. Bismuth is best to be kept in a nice dry place to preserve it.