Our spheres are cut and polished from natural rocks and minerals.
Producing a sphere begins by cutting the raw material into a cube. The corners and edges are then gradually removed, shaping the mineral closer to a sphere.
Excess material is ground away until a roughly round shape is formed. The sphere is then placed between two metal cups in a machine known as a cup grinder, which spins it in all directions while sanding continues. Over time, the sphere becomes perfectly round.
Once the shape is complete, the final stage is polishing, which brings out the mineral's natural beauty and lustre.
Because of how crystal balls and mineral spheres are made, the process creates significant waste. Depending on the size of the sphere, up to 80% of the original material can be lost.
Before modern grinding machines, spheres and crystal balls were crafted by hand using lapidary wheels. These large, rotating discs were embedded with abrasive materials. The rough mineral would be held against the wheel to grind and shape the sphere.
Cutting a crystal ball or mineral sphere by hand was slow, precise, and physically demanding.
Water or other coolants must be used during cutting to prevent the mineral from overheating.
Quartz, being a relatively hard mineral, requires an even harder abrasive. Diamond, garnet, and corundum, the three hardest known minerals, are commonly used.
