It's not like the movies. I do believe it's been done and not one time. If you create a electromagnetic field bubble, space warps just a little at the field vector. It requires a lot of juice and unconventional circuit construction.
The quartz question is interesting though, it's not necessarily the crystal itself but the lattice structure of certain crystals. Mica, quartz, gold, silver, copper and spark gap crystals specifically. Saltwater circuits, non metallic stuff... but it also requires money, and unusual building techniques, well... basically just MONEY, a lot of it. Imagine a machine you grow rather than actually assemble with hand tools.