How 3D Crystal Photos Are Made
People ask us this all the time, so here is the full answer — exactly what happens between you uploading a photo and a finished 3D photo in a crystal arriving at your door. Everything below happens at our studio in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. Nothing is sent abroad.
Step 1: Your photo becomes a 3D model
A normal photo is flat. Before we can engrave it, our software and our team convert it into a three-dimensional map — we separate the people or pets from the background, then build in the depth so a face is actually face-shaped rather than a flat cut-out. This is the part that separates a good 3D crystal from a cheap one, and it is where we spend most of the time on your order.
Step 2: Your preview, if you would like one
If you'd like to see your crystal before we make it, tick the preview box when you order. It's free, we'll email it within 24 hours, and nothing is engraved until you're happy with it. You see exactly how your photo sits in the crystal shape you have chosen, and if you want the position changed or text added, we adjust it. It is entirely optional — plenty of customers are happy for us to get straight on with it.
Step 3: The laser does its work
The crystal itself is K9 optical glass — the same grade used in camera lenses. A sub-surface laser focuses to a point inside the solid glass and creates a tiny fracture at that exact spot, smaller than a grain of sand. Then it does it again, up to 15 million times, building your photo point by point in three dimensions. Nothing touches the outside of the crystal — the surface stays perfectly smooth.
Step 4: Checked, packed, dispatched
Every crystal is inspected by us before it leaves — we have made over 15,000 of them, and each one still gets looked at properly. Free UK delivery takes 2–3 working days as standard, and 24-hour delivery is available as an option at checkout when you need it faster.
Why it never fades
Because the image is millions of points sealed inside solid glass, there is nothing to peel, rub off or react with sunlight. It is not ink and it is not a print — it is a permanent change to the glass itself. The crystals we made four years ago look the same today as the day they left the studio.
What photos work best?
Any clear phone photo. Faces and pets come out best when they are reasonably sharp and well lit, but we work with old prints, faded photos and even photos of photos — send it over and we will tell you honestly whether it will engrave well. Background removal is included as standard.
Questions we get asked
What is a 3D photo in a crystal?
A 3D photo in a crystal is a photograph engraved inside a solid block of optical crystal rather than printed on its surface. A sub-surface laser fires up to 15 million microscopic pulses at different depths inside the glass, so the image is built in three dimensions and appears to float in the middle of the block. Because nothing touches the outside, it cannot fade, scratch or peel.
How are 3D photo crystals made?
A flat photograph is converted by hand into a three-dimensional depth map, then a sub-surface laser fires up to 15 million individual pulses inside a solid block of K9 optical crystal. Each pulse creates a microscopic fracture at a precise depth. Together those fractures form the image in three dimensions. Nothing is printed and nothing touches the outside of the glass.
How does 3D laser engraving inside glass work without damaging the surface?
The laser beam passes through the outer glass without enough energy to affect it, and only reaches the intensity needed to fracture the crystal at the exact point where it is focused. That focal point is inside the block, so the surface stays smooth and unmarked.
Is a 3D crystal photo the same as a 2D etched photo?
No. A 2D etching places the image on a single flat plane inside or on the glass. A 3D crystal builds the image at many different depths, so a face is sculpted rather than flat and the picture changes as you move around it.
How many pixels does my photo need?
Far fewer than people expect. Any clear phone photo is enough. What matters is how large the face is within the frame and whether it is in focus — not the megapixel count. A sharp photo from a 2015 phone beats a distant shot from the latest one.
Will the engraving fade, scratch or discolour?
No. The engraving is sealed inside the crystal, so there is nothing on the surface to fade in sunlight, rub off or peel. It needs nothing more than an occasional wipe with a dry cloth.
How long does the whole process take?
If you tick the preview box when you order, we will email your free preview within 24 hours and engrave once you approve it. Delivery is separate: free UK delivery takes 2–3 working days, and 24-hour delivery is available as a paid option at checkout.
See it for yourself
Browse all 3D photo crystals, or go straight to the popular shapes: hearts, rectangles, cubes and keyrings, or our crystal wedding anniversary gifts. Prices start at £39.99 and include the 3D conversion, free text and free UK delivery.
