Herkimer Diamond Quartz Crystals from Middleville, NY
Geological Formation
What exactly is a Herkimer Diamond and how do they form?
Go back in time 500 million years during the Paleozoic era, and upstate New York was a shallow ocean environment where organisms called stromatolites (also known as seas cabbages) proliferated. These creatures, a form of bacteria were a predominant form of life on earth at that time. And, as oxygen producers, they contributed to the creation of an oxygen rich atmosphere on earth. A breathable atmosphere that we still enjoy today.
During events such as hurricanes and high tides, these stromatolites were covered with sand an silt that turned to rock around them, as they slowly rotted away. Left behind in their place were cavities (pockets or vugs) in the rock . Over time, silica rich water seeped through the rock turning it from limestone into dolomitic limestone. The liquid silica collected in the cavities and re-crystalized. (think of rock candy in sugar water). The crystals grew as solution quartz, free floating in liquid. Each crystal started with a seed crystal that is one molecule in size and has the same shape as the outer crystal. Herkimer diamonds grow from the center out into two points (double terminated). Every one has eighteen sides, with the exception of extra faces.
The organic material left over from the stromatolites is a carbon mineral called anthraxalite (similar to coal). Because carbon and silica do not bond, the anthraxalite covered walls of the pockets promoted the crystals to grow free floating. The black inclusions that are so common in Herkimer diamonds are anthraxalite.
The clarity of Herkimer diamond quartz is due to the purity of the silica from which they formed. The hardness of the matrix rock (dolomitic limestone) also protected them. Some of the small ones are so clear and perfectly formed, that is easy to see why people mistook them for diamonds.
Although they are quartz crystals, not diamonds, Herkimers are actually much rarer an do not have to be faceted to be appreciated...Mother Nature already created them perfectly.
Mining for Herkimer Diamonds
Mariel and her husband have been collecting Herkimer Diamonds for almost two decades. The Herkimer diamonds featured on this site were mined in Middleville, New York, famous for producing the highest quality and clearest quartz crystals on the planet. Hand mined by family and friend, dedicated hard rock miners, our stones are direct from the Earth to you.
The matrix rock in which the crystals are found is Dolomitic limestone. Larger crystal pockets are found in horizontal layers, (frozen layers of time), but are often under several feet of "dead" rock that must be removed to get down to the pay layer. Beneath the pocket layer is the ledge layer, where smaller pockets, or bugs, contain crystals that are often of jewelry grade. Herkimer diamonds are often found covered in mud, and rarely need more than a rinse and scrub with water. They need not be polished, faceted or treated in any way.
When multiple crystals grow together, these formations are known as clusters. The point where the crystals connect is called a crystal contact. Sometime the crystals are found in this natural cluster formation. Other times, a group of crystals is found with contact marks. These marks new usually centripetal and are extremely unique, like a fingerprint, matching only the other crystal that it grew against. The crystals can be matched back together, like a 3d jigsaw puzzle, to recreate the original formation as it grew. It is possible, but very rare, to find clusters of hundreds of crystals.
History, Mystery & Metaphysical Aspects
Herkimer Diamonds have been cherished by humans for thousands of years. The native pieople of the mohawk valley called themselves, Kanienkehaka, people of the valley of crystals. During revolutionary times, General Herkimer famously mistook these sparkly quartz crystals for diamonds. Local lure is that they were even used as tax payments to New York before they were verified by a gemologist, which in those days meant being shipped across the Atlantic and back.
Construction of a new road (NYSR 28) in the 1950s lead to the discovery of a rich layer of Herkimer diamonds in the village of MIddleville and eventually the opening of multiple mines there which are still open to the public today.
In recent times, the New Age has brought on a re- fascination with natural quartz crystals, both technologically and metaphysically. Quartz is in every watch, computer, and smart phone in the form of silica chips, and is known to hold a pulse when pressurized. As a form of quartz, Herkimer Diamonds are energy intensifiers. Metaphysical aspects include an association with the crown chakra, as well as clarity of mind, attunement, and dream enhancement.
Clusters of multiple crystals can additionally represent a vibration of family and connection.