Did You Know You Can Grow Your Own Crystals? Here's What Happened When I Tried It

The first step is picking out a crystal-growing kit. They are cheap and average from $5 and up! I've even seen them at the dollar store.

Place the stir stick in the jar, arrow side down.

Add boiling water to the fill line on the stir stick.

Pour the color granules into the jar and stir until dissolved, which takes about five minutes.

Let the water cool completely and add the tablet to the jar.

Allow 10 days for the crystal to fully form. Be careful not to disturb the crystal while it grows.

Discard any remaining liquid and then — voilà! — look at your masterpiece!

Although the directions suggested keeping it in the jar, I pulled mine out so that I could display it with my other crystals.

When I grow crystals again, I will keep the crystal growing for the longest time possible. Although my crystal turned out small, it is absolutely gorgeous!

While shopping for a DIY kit, there were many options. You can get a crystal kit in nearly any color, as well as size. I'll be purchasing more so that I can add more crystals to my collection! Here are a few:

• 4M Crystal Growing Experiment ($14)
• Smithsonian Crystal Growing ($19)
• Thames & Kosmos Crystal Growing ($25)
• National Geographic Blue Crystal Growing Lab ($10)