PLANET EARTH

Treasure Hunting for Herkimer Diamonds

Herkimer diamonds are Double Terminated quartz crystals that are found in Herkimer County, New York, hence the name.  These crystals have usually have a shape that is very similar to diamonds with 18 facets and two terminators or points at the end.  These beautiful gemstones were formed close to five hundred million years ago.  They are formed extremely slowly in pockets of rock and can be clear or cloudy in color and may be found in a verity of colors depending on the impurities present in the crystal.

Herkimer Diamond

These quarts crystals range in size from microscopic to over eight inches long and three to four inches wide and in rare cases even larger.  The best Gem Quality crystals are usually found in the one half inch to one inch range and will have excellent clarity, which is the reason they are nicknamed diamonds.  As the crystals become larger in size they tend to become less clear.

Herkimer diamonds are naturally faceted and have a hardness rating of 7 where diamonds have a hardness of 10 and it must be cut to give it smooth faces and the traditional diamond like shape.

How are they formed?

Millions of years ago calcium magnesium carbonate was deposited on the ocean floor.  As more and more of the sediments were deposited on the ocean floor the calcium magnesium carbonate and other minerals was compress into a rock strata called Dolostone which is quite similar to limestone.  Cracks can develop in the dolostone and then sea water will dissolve part of the rock leaving pockets where the quarts crystals form.  Pockets can contain from 1 to thousands of these quarts crystals of all sizes.  These pockets usually range in size from ½ inch to six feet in diameter.

Many of the crystal prospectors believe that they contain metaphysical properties.  They are believed to be able to activate your third eye and enhance the dreaming state.  When worn they may bring about a greater access to your psychic abilities.

At Herkimer Diamond Mine located in Herkimer County, New York, you can purchase an all-day prospecting ticket for around $10.  Prospectors can dig through the rubble near the mine area and break open rocks looking for the Herkimer diamond deposits.  Common tools used for prospecting are a 2 to 3 pound hammer, chisel, crowbar, safety glasses, gloves, 5 gallon bucket with water and some type of hoe or rake to move the piles of broken rock around.  Basic tools can be supplied by the mine staff with proper identification.  Visit the Herkimer diamond web site for current hours of operations and prices.

Up to 500 people a day from all around the world may visit the mine to prospect.  Hunting for Herkimer diamonds is great fun and a lot of hard work.  If you are lucky your will find a large pocket of crystal within the quarry walls.  One or more of the diamonds may be found by searching the rock rubble near the quarry walls scattered across the quarry floor with little or no effort.  Another common prospect method is to select and break open a rock with a heavy hammer and look for a cavity with crystals imbedded within.

Happy treasure hunting.

About the Author

David Cowley has created numerous articles on Treasure Hunting. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to Treasure Hunting. Visit Treasure Hunting

Quartz ” Herkimer Diamond ” with Iron Natural Crystal – Herkimer, New York This spectacular Herkimer quartz crystal is so crisp and clear that it gets called a ”diamond”! This particular specimen has unique iron inclusions, giving it a deep golden yellow color.Origin is Herkimer, New York….

Quartz – Light Smoky Quartz ” Herkimer Diamond ” Natural Crystal Cluster – New York Smokey Quartz phantoms create a touch of light brown around the edges of this natural Herkimer Diamond Crystal Cluster. Origin is Herkimer, New York…

Salisbury, Brockett’s Bridge, Salisbury Center, Diamond Hill, Deveraux, Herkimer County 1868, N… $24.99 Take a step back in time with an old view of Salisbury, Brockett’s Bridge, Salisbury Center, Diamond Hill, Deveraux from Herkimer County 1868 in New York. This map was originally published by Stranahan & Nichols in 1868 and will be carefully reproduced on state of the art giclee printers. Sourced from item number US15693 in the Historic Map Works online collection, this 10 in. x 16 in. print makes…

HERKIMER DIAMOND (1 STONE) Intensifies, channels energy…

Herkimer diamonds: A complete guide for the prospector and collector …

Let’s hunt for Herkimer diamonds …

Herkimer County, New York, including: E. Remington And Sons, Fort Dayton, Fort Herkimer, New York’s 24th Congressional District, Herkimer Diamond, … Places Listings In Herkimer County, New York $11.42 Hephaestus Books represents a new publishing paradigm, allowing disparate content sources to be curated into cohesive, relevant, and informative books. To date, this content has been curated from Wikipedia articles and images under Creative Commons licensing, although as Hephaestus Books continues to increase in scope and dimension, more licensed and public domain content is being added. We belie…

Tags: herkimer diamond, herkimer diamond beads, herkimer diamond jewelry, herkimer diamond mines, herkimer diamond ring

This entry was posted on Monday, September 27th, 2010 at 9:04 pm and is filed under Rocks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.