The Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull

The Mitchell-Hedges family loaned the skull to Hewlett-Packard Laboratories for extensive study in 1970. Art restorer Frank Dorland oversaw the testing at the Santa Clara, California, computer equipment manufacturer, a leading facility for crystal research. The HP examinations yielded some startling results.

Researchers found that the skull had been carved against the natural axis of the crystal. Modern crystal sculptors always take into account the axis, or orientation of the crystal's molecular symmetry, because if they carve "against the grain," the piece is bound to shatter -- even with the use of lasers and other high-tech cutting methods.

To compound the strangeness, HP could find no microscopic scratches on the crystal which would indicate it had been carved with metal instruments. Dorland's best hypothesis for the skull's construction is that it was roughly hewn out with diamonds, and then the detail work was meticulously done with a gentle solution of silicon sand and water. The exhausting job -- assuming it could possibly be done in this way -- would have required man-hours adding up to 300 years to complete.

Under these circumstances, experts believe that successfully crafting a shape as complex as the Mitchell-Hedges skull is impossible; as one HP researcher is said to have remarked, "The damned thing simply shouldn't be."

I wonder if they used it to play soccer.

Apparently, HP has provided no evidence on any lack of microscopic scratches on the crystal, as you stated - it was a claim by an art restorer who also claimed that it came from Atlantis, and that the Knights Templar carried it around.

Since then, it seems that it's been realized there were holes for support pegs drilled into the crystal by metal tools, and 19th century jewelers tools were used in the carving of the teeth.

It all seems like a bunch of hogwash to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_skull

Even though it seems like the Crystal Skulls have been debunked, it still should make for a good Indiana Jones movie.

Well, even if it is all bullshit, the Mitchell-Hedges skull does look wicked cool:

those are cool

That would make a great piece for the coffee table who wants to buy me one

man those are very cool looking.