One gem of an experiment! Scientists grow replica crown jewels using chemicals found in antiseptic cream and drain unblocker

If you have ever fancied a sapphire ring like Kate Middleton’s or a crown like the Queen’s, you could grow your own, the Daily Mail reports.

Physicists have grown a replica of the Imperial State Crown and the Duchess of Cambridge’s engagement ring, in a simple experiment that can be tried at home.

The experts grew their own jewels from a chemical compound found in common household items such as drain unblocker and antiseptic cream.

The experiment took eight months and marks the Queen becoming the longest reigning monarch later this year.

It is also intended to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, and will go on show at the Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair next month.

The experiment can be carried out by children in the classroom and shows the science behind acid-base reactions, which form the basis of nearly all biological processes in living things.

The ‘crowning glory’ of the replica Imperial State Crown – an imitation of St Edward’s Sapphire - was made from a common cleaning powder, which was mixed with boiling water to create a copper sulphate crystal.

Copper sulphate is a form of drain unblocker and is also used in antiseptic cream.

Scientists made the blue crystals by first adding copper sulphate powder to boiling water until the solution became saturated - when there is no more room between the water’s molecules and nothing else will dissolve – and the solution was bright blue.

They then filtered the mixture to remove any specks of dust and other impurities that might have got in the solution and would create cloudy crystals.

The scientists heated the filtered mixture so that the water changed state to a gas through evaporation.

The copper sulphate could not evaporate so it stayed behind, creating a more concentrated copper sulphate solution.

As more water evaporated, there was less space for the copper sulphate molecules within the solution, so in order to fit in, the molecules formed symmetrical patterns, resulting in crystals.

The solution evaporated overnight and the scientists picked the most promising crystal ‘seeds’ from which to grow their replica Crown Jewels, by hanging them from threads dipped in fresh copper sulphate solution so they could keep growing.

The Big Bang Fair’s jewels also contain thousands of laboratory-grown crystals, which are almost impossible to tell apart from diamonds, for example, with the naked eye.

Synthetic gems have many important uses in everyday life such as in lasers, smartphone screens, and watch faces - boasting hardiness close to that of natural diamonds. 

By exposing basic chemicals to extremely high temperatures, scientists were able to create synthetic spinel, corundum and cubic zirconia crystals to mimic priceless gems including the Black Prince Ruby, Stuart Sapphire, and the Cullinan II, which is the fourth largest polished diamond in the world.

Once grown, the crystals were cut to the exact specifications of the royal treasures before being carefully set into their casings by jewellers, to create the impressive replica crown.

‘Crystals are amazing - not only are they incredibly beautiful to look at, but they are also very useful,’ Prabhakaran Dharmalingam, head of the crystal growth unit at Oxford University said.

‘A lot of important discoveries, many that went on to win Nobel prizes, were only possible because of crystals.

‘I hope that this project will help get young people excited about science and inspired to take that excitement further with their studies and into their careers.’

The jewels will be on display at the fair at the NEC on Birmingham from March 11 to 14. Individuals can visit its website to register.

A Step-by-step guide for the experiment is also available online.