CRYSTAL TWINNING

Examining the Attributes of Various Twin Forms

- BOB JONES

We collect minerals for many reasons, both scientific and aesthetic, whether they are crystallized or massive. We admire crystal groups, single crystals, and their beauty as creations of nature. By and large, we collect and display specimens dominated by groups of a particular mineral species, sometimes accompanied by other species. Such clusters of minerals are called an aggregate of crystals. Under the right circumstances and within those aggregate mineral groups are three general forms of crystals that exhibit twinning.