Ability to Downgrade Elemental Crystals into Shards.

[kyuven]

Unlike in Version 1.0, each type of crystal has been re-designed to be their own unique and individual item. Shards are shards, crystals are crystals and clusters are clusters. As such there are no plans to add a feature to downgrade from one type to another.

Can you clarify this statement? Are clusters a different item mechanically and in the lore and not just a large collection of crystals? Do they lose their power when smacked with a hammer and no one can figure out why?
...an in-game justification would be nice.