3D Crystal for Cancer

The crab engraved inside a block of optical crystal as a figure of connected points, with the constellation traced over it, the symbol above and the name below. Cancer zodiac gifts tend to be chosen for people who are the centre of a household, and this is an object for a shelf at home rather than something to be carried around, which matches the sign more closely than most zodiac merchandise manages.

The Dimmest of the Twelve

Cancer is the faintest constellation in the zodiac. On an average night in an average town you will not see it at all, and even under dark skies it is a weak Y of stars that takes patience to resolve. What it does contain is worth the trouble: the Beehive Cluster, a swarm of several hundred stars close enough to show as a smudge of light to the naked eye, and one of the first objects Galileo turned a telescope on. So the engraving gives this sign something the sky is reluctant to, which is a clear picture of itself.

The Sign of the House

Cancer is traditionally associated with home, family and a protectiveness that extends to everyone it has decided belongs. Of the twelve it is the one most tied to a place rather than a trait, which is why a heavy object meant to sit permanently on a surface suits it better than a keychain or a pendant would. It is a common gift for a first house, a new flat or a mother, and it carries none of the obligation a photograph does, since it does not ask to be displayed in a particular room.

Three Sizes and the Base

Three sizes are made. The small sits in one hand, while the large is what gives the crab presence across a room. Engraving at varying depths inside the block gives the figure real volume, and because it sits within the material, handling and sunlight cannot reach it.

Nothing is cut until you approve a free 3D proof. Want to see it first? A 3D Preview costs $9.99, credited back.

Ultra HD reaches 4.5 million points where Standard reaches 3 million. That works out at up to 50% more. Light from underneath is what the engraving wants.

Names and dates are engraved free of charge. Order the same crystal twice and the second is half price. Send a sharp, well lit photograph taken from the waist up. Images are reviewed by hand before anything is cut.