KGCnewbieseeker
Sr. Member
we have a local rock quary near our house that lets you use picks and hammers to break open rocks. inside I found a couple of diamonds. well they are really clear quartz but it was still fun. we had to leave early because our son is only two and took a little tumble bumped his head and was in a bad mood after that so.... heres some pics & history...
What Are Herkimer Diamonds?
Herkimer Diamonds are beautiful double-terminatedquartz crystals found in Herkimer, New York. Incredibly,these gemstones are almost five hundred million years old.These magnificent crystals are found in the rock, having adiamond-like geometrical shape. Thus, the name recognitionof “Herkimer Diamonds”. Herkimers rival true diamonds. A true diamond found in the rough is exactly that, a roughappearing glass-like stone. The true diamond must be painstakingly cut by man to give it smooth faces and a geometricalshape. On the Mohs Hardness Scale, a true diamond scores a ten-the hardest mineral. Herkimer Diamonds are seven on thehardness scale, giving the real diamond a close race. They are naturally faceted, each having eighteen faces and two points.2
“Herkimer Diamond” crystals are found exclusivelywithin a small stretch of rolling terrain in central New YorkState. It is mainly a ten by fifty mile swath of land withsporadic dolostone outcrops crossing Herkimer, Fulton, andMontgomery counties.3 The crystals are found in bedrockwhich began forming about half a billion years ago in ashallow Cambrian Sea that lapped against the southernshores of the ancestral Adirondack Mountains. The limysediments (calcium magnesium carbonate) which slowlyaccumulated beneath the sea’s salty waters were graduallycompacted under the weight of thousands of feet of addi-tional sediments, forming the rock strata Little FallsDolostone. While still beneath the sea, water seepedthrough the pores of the rock often creating “vugs” (smallcavities) by dissolving part of the rock.2
The collecting methods range from casually lookingalong the prospecting area, to digging through the rubble,using crowbars, sledgehammers and heavy chisels. Themost popular tools are a 2 or 3 lb. crack hammer and a bullpoint chisel. The most popular method of prospecting forloose Herkimer Diamonds is by breaking them out of asingle rock.2
Some pockets in the table layer of rock are known tocontain thousands of diamonds. Pockets or cups can be upto six feet in diameter and usually no less than one foot. Thedome-like tops of the pockets are often lined with small,white cubic - shaped dolomite crystal. Occasionally, the topwill be beautiful black druse quartz. Pockets containingdiamond crystals are never the same either in size or inquality. Most pockets, as a rule, will contain diamondcrystals of various sizes. Some pockets may contain largecrystals ranging in size from four to eight inches long andthree to four inches wide. Other pockets with medium sizedcrystals range in size from an inch and a half to three to fourinches long and a half inch to two inches wide. Microcrystals are always found. As the crystals move up in sizethey tend to become less clear or more translucent thantransparent.2
Herkimers are primarily composed of silicon dioxide andmay occasionally contain inclusions of iron pyrite, air,water, or more commonly bits of black fossilized organicplant material formally called “anthraxolite”.3 Theanthraxolite resembles bits of black coal within the crystals.On rare occasions, an enhydro crystal can be found.Enhydro specimens are crystals that contain a water bubblewithin it. An even more greater find would be an enhydrowith anthraxolite floating in the water bubble.2 Very goodcrystals are perfectly shaped and water clear. Herkimerdiamonds are the only naturally double terminated, waterclear, quartz crystals on Earth. They come out of the groundalready faceted! They are not “cut” or manipulated bymachine in any way.3 Twins, doubles, clusters, tabulars,smokies, skeletals and phantom crystals are all valuablespecimen found in pockets.2
The most perfect crystals are usually those less than 1/2”long, but occasionally much larger crystals are found.Crystals commonly occur intertwined or clustered and oftentiny, perfect crystals are attached to the backs of larger ones.An avid business of trading has developed among themultitudes of collectors, many of whom possess literally
Herkimer Diamonds
What Are Herkimer Diamonds?
Herkimer Diamonds are beautiful double-terminatedquartz crystals found in Herkimer, New York. Incredibly,these gemstones are almost five hundred million years old.These magnificent crystals are found in the rock, having adiamond-like geometrical shape. Thus, the name recognitionof “Herkimer Diamonds”. Herkimers rival true diamonds. A true diamond found in the rough is exactly that, a roughappearing glass-like stone. The true diamond must be painstakingly cut by man to give it smooth faces and a geometricalshape. On the Mohs Hardness Scale, a true diamond scores a ten-the hardest mineral. Herkimer Diamonds are seven on thehardness scale, giving the real diamond a close race. They are naturally faceted, each having eighteen faces and two points.2
“Herkimer Diamond” crystals are found exclusivelywithin a small stretch of rolling terrain in central New YorkState. It is mainly a ten by fifty mile swath of land withsporadic dolostone outcrops crossing Herkimer, Fulton, andMontgomery counties.3 The crystals are found in bedrockwhich began forming about half a billion years ago in ashallow Cambrian Sea that lapped against the southernshores of the ancestral Adirondack Mountains. The limysediments (calcium magnesium carbonate) which slowlyaccumulated beneath the sea’s salty waters were graduallycompacted under the weight of thousands of feet of addi-tional sediments, forming the rock strata Little FallsDolostone. While still beneath the sea, water seepedthrough the pores of the rock often creating “vugs” (smallcavities) by dissolving part of the rock.2
The collecting methods range from casually lookingalong the prospecting area, to digging through the rubble,using crowbars, sledgehammers and heavy chisels. Themost popular tools are a 2 or 3 lb. crack hammer and a bullpoint chisel. The most popular method of prospecting forloose Herkimer Diamonds is by breaking them out of asingle rock.2
Some pockets in the table layer of rock are known tocontain thousands of diamonds. Pockets or cups can be upto six feet in diameter and usually no less than one foot. Thedome-like tops of the pockets are often lined with small,white cubic - shaped dolomite crystal. Occasionally, the topwill be beautiful black druse quartz. Pockets containingdiamond crystals are never the same either in size or inquality. Most pockets, as a rule, will contain diamondcrystals of various sizes. Some pockets may contain largecrystals ranging in size from four to eight inches long andthree to four inches wide. Other pockets with medium sizedcrystals range in size from an inch and a half to three to fourinches long and a half inch to two inches wide. Microcrystals are always found. As the crystals move up in sizethey tend to become less clear or more translucent thantransparent.2
Herkimers are primarily composed of silicon dioxide andmay occasionally contain inclusions of iron pyrite, air,water, or more commonly bits of black fossilized organicplant material formally called “anthraxolite”.3 Theanthraxolite resembles bits of black coal within the crystals.On rare occasions, an enhydro crystal can be found.Enhydro specimens are crystals that contain a water bubblewithin it. An even more greater find would be an enhydrowith anthraxolite floating in the water bubble.2 Very goodcrystals are perfectly shaped and water clear. Herkimerdiamonds are the only naturally double terminated, waterclear, quartz crystals on Earth. They come out of the groundalready faceted! They are not “cut” or manipulated bymachine in any way.3 Twins, doubles, clusters, tabulars,smokies, skeletals and phantom crystals are all valuablespecimen found in pockets.2
The most perfect crystals are usually those less than 1/2”long, but occasionally much larger crystals are found.Crystals commonly occur intertwined or clustered and oftentiny, perfect crystals are attached to the backs of larger ones.An avid business of trading has developed among themultitudes of collectors, many of whom possess literally
Herkimer Diamonds
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