Indian Stupa or Sacred Mound

A clear stepped dome with a heavy, chiseled base and a few frozen cracks.

This crystal stupa, or sacred mound is from India, and is contemporary. Small stupas are made in many materials as devotional objects, and they are commonly kept on home shrines or in temples across Asia. Stacked rounded tiers rise to a blunt summit with fine ridges and bands. Below, a thick, angular base shows large flat facets. Faint fractures run through the body, and the whole piece is water-clear. It is 0.8 inches wide, 0.8 deep and 1 high.

Cut like a tiny temple and polished to catch every light.