Prince Rupert's drop
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Prince Rupert's drops are toughened glass beads created by dripping molten glass into cold water, which causes the glass to solidify into a tadpole-shaped droplet with a long, thin tail. These droplet
Prince Rupert's drops
Depiction of glass drops from Robert Hooke's Micrographia (1665)
Pele's tears
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Pele's tears are small pieces of solidified lava drops formed when airborne particles of molten material fuse into tearlike drops of volcanic glass. Pele's tears are jet black in color and are often f
Prince Rupert's drop
…if the tail end is even slightly damaged. In nature, similar structures are produced under certain conditions in volcanic lava and are known as Pele's tears. The drops are named after Prince Rupert of the Rhine, who brought examples of them to England in 1660, although they were reportedly being produced…
Assorted shapes of Pele's tears from Mauna Ulu. U.S. dime for scale in lower right.
Pele's tears