Like spotlit diamonds set against velvet, it is impossible to capture in a photo the sparkles that reflect off these big samples of crystalline boron at the merest shift in angles.

Boron is found in many common minerals and its compounds find their way into many household uses like detergent and pesticides. The elemental form, however, is a far more exotic beast few have ever come across. Isolated into an earthy powder, it is sold industrially as an ingredient in the making of many of those products mentioned above. Higher grades of purity are required for use in semiconductors and it is here where the element can grow into large clusters of countless small crystals that aggregate one upon the other. The result is something that superficially looks and feels like a charcoal briquette the kind you’d toss into your barbecue but upon closer inspection seems like some kind of crazy alien jewel.

Each of these cubes contains one such jewel made of very pure boron. Initially dull next to snazzier elements in this colorful section of the periodic table, the crystals will soon invite close inspection of its fascinating and sparkly textures.