Star of antimony

Specimen of antimony, with leather stand. "Star of Antimony"

The beautiful star formed on the surface of antimony as the molten metal solidifies greatly attracted the alchemists of the 16th century. The metal had not been clearly distinguished from lead or made in quantity until that time. The appearance of the star was believed by some to have an occult significance, but by the 18th century the crystalline nature of metals was being appreciated. In modern times the behaviour of metals is explained very much in terms of their crystal structure.