Copper, New Mexico, United States of America
Copper is an essential component of electronics.
Source: Museum Victoria
Grossular garnet, Khalola hill, Baltistan, Pakistan
Garnet and ruby crystals are used to generate laser light.
Source: Museum Victoria
The coffee cup and toothpaste we use in the morning, our cars, our electronic gadgets and the windows we gaze through are all derived from minerals.
As well as theses everyday uses, many crystals have unusual properties that can be altered to be useful for high-tech applications. For example, superconductors, lasers, molecular sieves and high-temperature ceramics have been developed from natural crystals.