Hasta La Ideas

Seen under a microscope, elements and bismuth crystals are visually mind-blowing.

Well aware of this is Nervous System, the experimental design lab whose sculptures we showed you here. The company makes these Bismuth Crystal Puzzles, for jigsaw lovers bored of standard fare:

“Each puzzle is uniquely generated through a computer simulation, mirroring the natural variations in shape and design. Each is one-of-a-kind and once it’s sold it will not be made again.”

“These puzzles have a geometric cut mirroring the puzzle’s crystalline nature. Become enmeshed in the matrix cut! The puzzle pieces explore a nonuniform grid, revealing an intriguing network.”

They sell them in two sizes: A Big version roughly 11″ x 11,” containing about 267 pieces. Their Small version is roughly 9″ x 9″, containing about 157 pieces. Prices are $85 and $60, respectively.

Lastly, some fun facts from Nervous System:

“When grown in a lab, Bismuth forms geometric crystals with a staircase-like shape called hopper crystals. The hopper shape results from there being a higher growth rate at the outside edges than the inside ones, leaving a hollow center. One really cool thing about Bismuth is that it’s the most diamagnetic element. An applied magnetic field creates an induced magnetic field in Bismuth in the opposite direction, causing a repulsive force.”