Ripple Mirror Egg, 2017

Hand-carved rock-crystal

Height 6.5cm (2 1/2")
Width 8.5cm (3 3/8")
Depth 7.5cm (3")

BG19

Price on request

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More about Ripple Mirror Egg, 2017

This material is eye-clean and colourless but not optically flawless. It contains a large inclusion of greenish-black mica, along with other small mineral and bubble inclusions. The unique ripple fracture was made by the artist in a plane crossing at approximately right-angles to the strongest axis of crystal growth. It is this critical direction of applied force (of some 200 tons) that released the intense mechanical shockwave now 'fossilised' in the patterned surfaces separating this crystal into two parts. The generation of this kind of fracture is extremely difficult and based on years of practical experience trimming and splitting raw rock-crystal in Madagascar using flame and hammer. The carving and polishing has been set out to reflect and magnify the shockwave pattern of fracture as well as the shaped bubble cavity within, and its contents. The optical effect of the shaped dome has also been arranged to spectacularly magnify any small object as may be placed within in one particular direction. It is remarkable that this magnifying effect is greater the further away the viewer stands.

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