With the ability to replicate any inserted Gem, Foraged Mineral or Geode Mineral except Prismatic Shards, the Crystalarium is one of the best money-making tools and passive resources in Stardew Valley.
Getting The Crystalarium
In order to unlock the Crystalarium recipe, you’ll need to reach Mining Level 9. Then to craft one, you’ll need 99 Stone, 5 Gold Bars, 2 Iridium Bars, and a Battery Pack. It cannot be sold.
Luckily, there are a few ways you can get a Crystalarium without crafting:
– Community Center Vault Bundle: After donating 25,000g to its bundle in the Vault section of the Community Center, you’ll receive one as a reward.
– Skull Cavern Treasure Room(s): These small rooms randomly appear at levels 10+ in the Skull Cavern. Each room contains a treasure chest that can have a Crystalarium.
– Stardew Valley Museum & Library Donation: A donation of at least 50 Minerals (Gemstones or Geode Minerals) to the museum will result in Gunther gifting you one.
Utilizing The Crystalarium
Once you have a Crystalarium, you can put it down anywhere: indoors, outdoors, on your farm, and/or off your farm. To clone the gem of your choice, bring it to the machine and put it in the machine.
Depending on the gem/mineral, the clone will be finished in a couple in-game hours to several days. Once the clone is ready, the Crystalarium will stop production until you take it out. The cloning process resumes after the cloned gem/mineral’s removal, infinitely replicating it.
The inserted gem/mineral is recovered by removing the machine when a gem/mineral is not ready for harvest.
Note: According to a book in the Museum, Prismatic Shards “interact negatively with the Crystalarium,” so they cannot be replicated.
Gem & Mineral Tips
Here are some general tips to help you decide which gems/minerals to replicate!
Note: For specific information on all gem and mineral sell prices and clone times, refer to the Crystalarium Stardew Valley Wiki.
Most Profitable Gem
The most profitable gem in the game is the diamond. It’s worth 750g, or 975g with the Gemologist profession, and takes 5 days to clone.
Diamonds are also a loved/liked gift to villagers, and can be bartered with the Desert Trader for Triple Shot Espressos.
Villager Reactions | |
Love | |
Like |
Trading for Spicy Eel
The Desert Trader will trade you a Spicy Eel dish for one Ruby. Spicy Eel offers 115 Energy and 51 Health. It can be sold for 175g.
Trading for Staircases
Only on Sundays in the Calico Desert, the Desert Trader will trade you a staircase for one Jade. A staircase take 99 stone to craft, so cloning jade can save countless hours of gathering stone. Jade takes one day and 16 hours to clone and sells for 200g.
Quickest Clone
The shortest time span for any gem/mineral is Quartz. It only takes 7 hours to replicate and sells for 25g. Though its price is low, with this speed, you can create an efficient source of Quartz and Refined Quartz.
Quartz can also be used to trade with the Desert Trader. Five Quartz can be bartered for one Bomb at the Desert Trader in the Calico Desert; this is cheaper than buying a Bomb from the Dwarf’s shop for 600g.