These freshwater jewels are green algae from the Desmidiaceae family and the Cosmarium genus viewed under polarized light and magnified over 400 times! What is amazing about polarization, a special illumination technique, is that it makes all the small crystal molecules shine like glitters. Cosmarium genus possess the most species among all desmids with around 1000 described species. Desmids can be found in various shapes and present diverse cell wall ornamentations which are characteristics that are crucial to identify and classify them. Although desmids look like two identical cells joined together, they’re actually two half cells, meaning they’re unicellular! They caught the attention of early microscopist because of their diversity and complex symmetry which makes them very aesthetically pleasing.