Hero: Roger Penrose

no smoke without fire: so much bullshit is talked about crystals, but there is where there is persistent nonsense, there are some hard facts under all the rubble that go some way to explain the fascination, the bullshit is often pointing the way to a deeper truth. today we look at quasicrystals, a geometric phenomenon that has been inspiring to us from the beginning. also, for our dear readers, as always, a 48h window of opportunity to enjoy a 25% discount these delights.

travel with us to central asia, wonder at the tiles that are all the same yet refu se to repeat, and get a juicy discount on the penrose range, the designs we made to honor the se phenomena. what are quasicrystals? first we need to talk about aperiodic tiling: just one or two aperiodic tiles can fill infinite space without any symmetries.

the great pattern makers of medieval islamic architecture had first identified this quality, and put it it to use on mesmerizing mosques. western mathematicians identified this 2D geometry in the 70s. when these phenomena are translated to 3D, they are called quasicrystals, still a hotly researched area.

from incredibly simple to wonderfully complex in a heartbeat. the tiling that we work with is called the penrose tiling. it is based on 2 rhomboid tiles, with acute angles of 72° and 36° (half of 72°).

the can be endlessly combined to make a beautiful pattern of shapes, forms and sequences that rhymes but never repeats. the translation of this 5 axis geometric logic to 3D is very complex. these crystals are very rare in nature, one of them was found on a russian meteorite in the last decade and is still being examined.

the greatest mystery of the crystal, however, is the persistent belief that crystals have healing qualities. marisa galvez, a medievalist at stanford, says that the combination of predictable geometries and unpredictable outcome reminded troubadours of love and it's twists and turns, comparing the uncertainty of falling in love with the uncertainty of looking through a refractive crystal. expect to hear more from us on this theme, as we also work a lot with glass and lead crystal.

faithful and observant readers of the fundamental newsletter will remember last month's feature on the supply chain for the SPECTRUM tray. the penrose products are also part of that supply chain, with the raw parts being precision etched in veneto before making thier way to a social workshop for berliners with disabilities. penrose products are a german-italian co-production, inspired by the islamic architects of central asia, searching for ever more trancendental ways of describing the wonder of creation without resorting to representation of people or animals.

each penrose represents hundreds of years of human thought, high tech italian engineering and low tech german hand work. there are 4 pieces in the range (with more on the way, it's a popular product). the bookmark is perfect for your bedside, the coasters will protect your table with their little silicone feet, and the two trays will hold your valuables or serve drinks and snacks.

all of them will add a sophisticated and thoughtful touch of glamour to your home, or make a perfect, easy to send gift.