yes, This is amazingly-serendipitously-to-me TRP-related

[Mark Kohut]

1) We know the South, the tropics, warm climes are negative tropes in general in TRPs vision.............

2)In counterpoint, the North, cold climes, fruits from, [bananas] are positive associations........

3) Crystal, as in Crystal Palace, and other times it appears in his works is also---perhaps inspired by Zemyatin's "We"--a negative association. 

So, perhaps we have heard about snowflakes and their crystalline structure: IT SEEMS that is more than a metaphor!. Snowflakes are a mineral crystal!
>From the cold Northlands...

SwishtheFish    Snow is a mineral, just like diamonds and salt. Learn more about the fluffy frozen stuff: http://tinyurl.com/25sm2z 

(I know we must recognize that TRP also seems to like snow when characters are around it and at the right time...)