Pegmatites are extremely coarse-grained intrusive igneous rocks, containing crystals that are both large (at least 5 cm or 2 inches across) and packed closely together. Pegmatites crystallize during the final stages of granite formation. The same silicate minerals that form granite - quartz, feldspar, and mica - generally make up the bulk of pegmatites, too, but the individual minerals in pegmatites can be many centimeters or even several meters in diameter. Some pegmatites also contain less common minerals, such as garnet, albite, lepidolite, beryl, and fluorite. Geologists and miners sometimes find beautiful, gemstone-quality crystals of topaz, beryl (aquamarine), rose quartz, smoky quartz, and other minerals within pegmatites.

About 200 years ago, scientists studying electricity realized that metals allowed electrical currents to flow through them much more easily than most nonmetals. Because of its relative abundance, high electrical conductivity, and malleability (or ability to be shaped), copper has become the standard material for electrical wiring and switching. Certain types of low-iron silicates, such as muscovite and pyrophyllite, are naturally occurring electrical insulators. Glass or porcelain insulators, made from such minerals as quartz and feldspar, keep high-voltage power-transmission lines from touching their poles. Pyrolusite is the naturally occurring mineral version of manganese oxide, which is inside every non-rechargeable alkaline battery. Gasoline-powered articles start their engines with a jolt of electricity from lead-acid batteries, which get their lead from the mineral galena. Other rechargeable batteries contain nickel, cadmium, or other metals, found in a variety of ores.