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Identity HelpIdentity of the stone

11th Jan 2019 02:46 UTCAries Bael

I would like to know what kind of stone is this. It is pearly white in color but when put in natural water it turns into crystal or colorless.

It is small as size as grain of bean. It also grow when put in water. When it break the small particle will grow into another small grain. Pleaese help me to identify this stone.

11th Jan 2019 04:58 UTCTed Hadley

A synthetic concretion on quartz? It looks synthetic to me.

We need more info: hardness, cleavage, etc.

11th Jan 2019 05:06 UTCAli Unwala

Do they turn squishy in water?

If so they could be plant gel beads:

https://www.google.com/search?q=plant+gel+beads&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQzLam-uTfAhUCaq0KHfttCxwQ_AUIDygC&biw=1923&bih=1270

11th Jan 2019 08:00 UTCAries Bael

It is hard. It is not also squishy in water.

We found it placed in the bottle that has a japanese marking on it..

11th Jan 2019 08:05 UTCAries Bael

It is hard. It is not also squishy in water.

We found it placed in the bottle that has a japanese marking on it..

I thought the japanese brought this here in the philippines during world war 2.

11th Jan 2019 09:12 UTCWayne Corwin

they are modern 'gel-beads' for growing plants.

soak in water overnight and they will squish.

11th Jan 2019 09:27 UTCAries Bael

It has been soak in water since 2016.. and it never squish but produce more crystals..

11th Jan 2019 19:33 UTCFrank K. Mazdab 🌟 Manager

It's been soaking in water for almost 3 years and over that time it's been growing? And there's Japanese writing on the bottle? I think this is the premise of an old horror/monster movie I saw once...

11th Jan 2019 19:39 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

Obviously manmade something and not a mineral.

11th Jan 2019 20:40 UTCWayne Corwin

Has Special Agents Fox Mulder and Scully been notifyed?

11th Jan 2019 21:25 UTCKelly Nash 🌟 Expert

They look like tapioca pearls.

11th Jan 2019 21:39 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

Silica gel. Very commonly used in dehydrated japanese food products. Think of it as synthetic opal, but made to keep food dry, not for jewelry.

12th Jan 2019 00:54 UTCAries Bael

Sir Alfredo Petrov, I think so. It characterictics much of what an opal has.

Especially as what the description of an opalir shows some of it. Like when it is soak in water in changes its color to crystal. It is natural color is milky white. But the size of it is so small. Like a small pea size.

If it is synthetic. I would like to ask if synthetic opal can change its color when place in a water?

Pls give me more info before I will dispose if it has no value at all..

Thank you

12th Jan 2019 01:02 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

It is not synthetic opal. Not sure why Alfredo compared it to that other than they both contain silica, water and are amorphous. Sorry to have to tell you, but what you have is worthless.

12th Jan 2019 01:28 UTCDonald B Peck Expert

And they are a two dimensional array of beads. I think Alfredo was referring to the apparent structure, not saying it was opal (of any type).

12th Jan 2019 09:16 UTCAries Bael

Ok sirs. But please enlighten me why is it that if this beads was put in a water it changes its color to crystal.

What material they have probably used to make this thing? For sure it is not plastic because it doesnt burn. Please educate me more about this. Thank you so much..

If you have also some link please if you dont mind give me for more info..

12th Jan 2019 14:00 UTCEd Clopton 🌟 Expert

Opal naturally contains some water in its structure. If it contains a lot of water it can go from being transparent ("crystal"?) when hydrated to translucent or opaque when dehydrated and back to transparent when rehydrated. Maybe that's what is going on here. I can imagine that happening especially with a synthetic opal or opal-like material.

A seller on eBay whom I generally trust has been listing little 1-2 mm transparent opal beads from a hot-spring locality in Japan (https://www.ebay.com/itm/OPAL-OOLITE-RARE-Tateyama-JAPAN/312408038944?hash=item48bcf85e20:g:2xMAAOSwYd5cKWgT) that appear to have a grain of sand as a nucleus. I don't know anything more about them and have not seen one in person, but as I said, I have dealt with this seller for years and tend to trust his information. Additionally, I doubt that these are the same item the original poster described, but mention them here to indicate that such things (may) really occur in nature.

12th Jan 2019 14:42 UTCThomas Lühr Expert

Maybe this link helps

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silica_gel

12th Jan 2019 17:51 UTCAries Bael

Sir Ed Clopton. That is exactly what is happening to these beads. When put in water it became transparent but if taken out of water it became opaque milky white in color. Thank you sir for more info..

12th Jan 2019 18:38 UTCWayne Corwin

Aries

What is the hardness of them?

13th Jan 2019 05:39 UTCAries Bael

Sir Wayne I don't know how to determine the hardness. Can you give me some knowledge on how to determine it sir..

13th Jan 2019 06:05 UTCWayne Corwin

The Mohs Hardness Test

14th Jan 2019 06:33 UTCAries Bael

I think its 5 to 7 sir..

Then its fracture is uneven...

14th Jan 2019 21:29 UTCAries Bael

15th Jan 2019 22:46 UTCAries Bael

It is not like gel.. Its hard and not soft..

I know what is gel.. Its very obvious because when you hold it it is soft but this is not like that..

15th Jan 2019 22:47 UTCAries Bael

I know also what is silica. Of course because you always find it in evey products like shoes or even foods..

15th Jan 2019 22:55 UTCAries Bael

It is knew to me. I was just curious about it because of it characteristics. And it is hard like a stone or ceramic not plastic or gel.

But it changes its color from opaque milky white to transparent when put on water.. And it is also produces more like it.. It seems that its alive.. Plant gel beads are also soft and.. And worn out then wasted but this beads or stone is different. That is why I am intrigue about it..

16th Jan 2019 01:05 UTCDoug Daniels

If it is indeed silica gel, then when you put it in water, it will absorb some. That water has to go somewhere, which would be into whatever structure the bead had. It would then likely expand, giving the impression that it is growing . I'm sure the ones you've put in water and that have "grown", have only gotten to a certain size, then stopped "growing".

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