Star Wars Kyber Crystal Container Prop

Hello there, random fandoms and fellow enthusiasts! I'm currently working on a Jedi librarian costume and I decided to make a prop to go with it. Inspired by the Kyber crystal container used at Savi's Workshop in Galaxy's Edge, I made this containment unit from bits and bobs and a glass jar. But let's start with a more detailed parts list.

For the Kyber Crystals:

Faceted plastic or glass beads (mine are plastic)

Acrylic paints (the kind for artists, in tubes)

For the Container

Glass jar with a lid (Mine was a salt jar, you'll want a jar that is mostly straight up and down without a neck)

Various lids in addition to the original lid. You'll want two that are identical and one that's the same as the lid for the jar

For the Crystal Chassis

Wooden dowels

Wood about a quarter of an inch thick (Cardboard will work in a pinch)

For Decoration

Paint

Craft foam

Things like old wires, string, and hockey tape to add detail

Most of this project can be done with a hot glue gun, but there is some wood that needs to be cut. I used a scroll saw to cut the dowels to the right size.

I also used a laser cutter to cut some perfect circles for the crystal chassis and the ends of the lid assemblies. If you don't have a laser cutter--which is, for those who don't know, an elegant weapon of a more civilized age--you can use a scroll saw. If you're using cardboard instead of thin wood for the chassis, you can just use scissors.

The crystals were made simply by painting very thin layers of paint over clear plastic beads. Of course, if you have your own crystals already, this is a great way to store them, and of course you can just get some colored beads if you don't want to worry about painting them.

Thus concludes the easiest step.

I watched videos and found source images of other people's kyber crystal storage methods to get an idea of what aesthetic I would be going for. I determined that I wanted to make an inner chassis attached to the lid so that the crystals would be suspended in the jar and could be pulled out by taking off the lid, with both ends of the jar capped with some lids to make it symmetrical. I drew out a schematic and used it and some measurements of the jar to plan the exact sizes for the inner chassis pieces and the caps for the ends of the jar.

Using the measurements from the schematic, I used a laser cutter to cut out two little donut shapes, then fit a large dowel through the holes in the middle, with shorter dowels in between. My chassis hold three crystals, so there are three pillars to keep them separate. The pillars are slightly taller than the crystals so there is some extra room.

After using the propmaker's greatest asset, the hotglue gun--not as clumsy as a blaster--I put all of these pieces together firmly.

Taking my lids, I glued them together, giving me two identical assemblies. I glued the chassis into the lid that screwed onto the jar. In the first picture you can see both the painted version and the unpainted version of these assemblies so you can see some detail. Because of the lids I used, I had to cover the open ends of the assemblies with more wooden discs cut on the laser cutter. I used some strips of craft foam to smooth out the edge of the assemblies.

I painted the assemblies and the chassis grey, and then as a finishing touch I handpainted the symbol of the Jedi Order onto each assembly.

Using hot glue, I glued the lid assembly without the chassis onto the bottom of the jar, making the ends symmetrical.

Now comes the fun part: Decorating.

Using hockey tape, foam, and an old USB cable, I added some more detail and structure to the jar. This included wrapping the lid assemblies in some hockey tape, making sure that for the assembly that was glued to the bottom that the hockey tape overlaps onto the glass to strengthen the bond there.

You can basically do whatever you want for this, but it is a good idea to keep the middle clear so you can still see your crystals.

I chose to add some warnings along the lines of "Caution: Kyber Crystal Unit" in Aurebesh, and I have included the key that I used so you can do the same.

And with that, you containment unit is ready for crystals! I glued mine in place, but if you want them to be removable you can experiment with sticky tack, magnets, or whatever you can think of to attach them! If you have an idea to improve upon this project, sound off in the comments! And as always, May the Force be With You, and Happy Making.