Where to find Diamonds and Herkimer Diamonds
Road Trip! This week we'll go to Herkimer County, New York where you can camp in either the Herkimer Diamond Mines campground or the Ace of Diamonds Mine and campground. Either one will, for a nominal fee, allow you to mine for Herkimer diamonds. Please bring (or rent) a shovel, hammer, eye protection and wear a long-sleeved shirt and pants (dolomite is heavy and can be sharp when chipped). Look for a vug or cavity that can be split open, or just wade in the stream and find crystals that may have been overlooked by using a sluicing pan. Please be aware of the weather and remember your sunscreen!
And don't forget, Arkansas' state gem is the diamond, due to the diamond deposits and kimberlite pipes the state rests on. Take a Road Trip to Crater of Diamonds State Park, where for a small admission fee, the rule is "Finders, Keepers!" Arkansas is the only state in the US to have an open diamond mine available for visitors to dig.
If you're in the Western US, you may want to travel to the beautiful state of Wyoming and try your hand at mining diamonds as well! While kimberlite pipes and diamonds have been found in Wyoming, they are difficult to get to and really (and I mean really) off the beaten path. If you do travel to Wyoming, it would be more fun to go to Yellowstone, Thermopolis Hot Springs, or Lander where you can visit Sinks Canyon state park and see some VERY large trout. Hike the mountains, maybe take the tram to the top of the Tetons and then drive into Jackson to purchase a beautiful diamond from one of the jewelers there.
So, whether through violent eruptions that bring diamonds to the surface or through precipitation within magma vugs, either type of diamond is both beautiful and interesting.
An end note here; many diamond traders in Africa have not been very scrupulous in the past; please be sure that when purchasing diamonds, that you purchase from ethical sellers who do not knowingly participate in this type of trade.