Some gems and minerals are beautiful but can be easily scratched or abraded if used in high contact jewelry like a ring. If the mineral could be encased in quartz by putting it in a vapor depositing oven, it would have a tough clear coat. Example Violanes is a rare violet mineral from Italy which would be a gorgeous gemstone if it were able to be hardened.
-- borsumikko, Nov 07 2020

Violanes https://www.gemdat.org/gem-8118.html
[pertinax, Nov 07 2020]

Epitaxy of quartz - current state of the art? https://science.sci...6134/827.full?rss=1
This suggests the idea would be harder than it looks. [pertinax, Nov 07 2020]

Synthetic Quartz https://en.wikipedi...tificial_treatments
Hydrothermal process [8th of 7, Nov 07 2020]

Quartz crystals are produced industrially by deposition from aqueous solution.
-- 8th of 7, Nov 07 2020


Good idea, Humans have been lacquering things from year dot.

But should quartz be the standard go to material. Carbon as a lacquer? The match of deposition chemicals and application environments for the needed mineral is going to a be game and a half. Maybe the Alloyotron can be adapted.

Extrapolating, this could give rise to designer stones where amounts minerals are positionally doped in other minerals to make out of this world gems.
-- wjt, Nov 07 2020


It would make a lot more sense to encase them in colorless sapphire.
-- Voice, Nov 07 2020


Easier to stick a piece of sellotape over the top.
-- pocmloc, Nov 07 2020



random, halfbakery