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The origin of crystal skulls can tend to be a rather mysterious topic. Part of the issue arises because quartz crystal is a natural stone that comes from the Earth, therefore we cannot carbon date the crystal. The only way that science can currently estimate the age of a crystal carving is by examining its surface to see if there is any evidence showing how it was carved, and whether it shows ancient or modern tool marks, or in some cases, no marks at all.

First, it is important to distinguish the categories that crystal skulls can fall into. The majority are considered to be New / Modern / Contemporary Crystal Skulls. A large number are considered to be Old Crystal SKulls (100 to 1500 years old) and a select few are classified as Ancient Crystal Skulls (over 1500 years old).

Crystallography
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica:
Matter exists in three main varieties: the gaseous state, the liquid state, and the solid state. Solid matter - in which the atoms, molecules or ions are arranged in a regularly repeating pattern throughout - is said to be crystalline; all other solid matter is said to be amorphous (noncrystalline), although the distinction is not always sharp. Practically all metals, minerals and alloys are crystalline, while glasses, plastics, ceramics and gels are amorphous. A single piece of crystalline matter is called a crystal.

Crystallography is the science of crystals and of the crystalline state. Since most solid matter is crystalline, the properties of crystals are to a large extent also the properties of ordinary solid materials. In the electronics industry the word "crystal" is usually restricted in meaning to a crystalline substance that exhibits the piezoelectric effect; e.g., quartz (which has been shown to exhibit more piezoelectricity than other materials).

Piezoelectricity
Piezoelectricity is the ability of some materials (notably crystals and certain ceramics) to generate an electric potential in response to applied mechanical stress. Quartz crystals can convert electrical voltage into the mechanical regulation of clocks and computers. This process can be reversed by using mechanical pressure to produce electrical voltage.

The first practical application for piezoelectric devices were developed in 1917 as a detector / transducer for a sonar
(SOund NAvigation and Ranging system). Since then, quartz crystals have been used to make oscillators for radios, computer chips, and clocks.