These handsome little crystals of niobium make a perfect entry point into the pricey world of metallic crystal collecting. What makes these crystals so fascinating is that while each element has its own unique recipe for coming together at the atomic level no two are alike. How can this be? Any tiny imperfection, perhaps as small as a single atom that doesn’t fall in line or contaminating atoms of a different element or even simply uneven growth is sufficient to throw off the symmetry whereupon they continue growing in a new direction. In the case of niobium, with its cubic atomic structure, the growths develop preferentially along planes and the breaks make for stair-like facets.