Fee Collecting Site
DIAMOND HILL QUARTZ MINE
May 19, 2010
by Ray Hill
Quartz crystals, Skeletal quartz crystals, Amethyst crystals, Smoky quartz crystals, Quartz crystal clusters with Iron and Manganese Oxides.
The Diamond Hill Quartz Prospect is located near Antreville, South Carolina, about halfway between Anderson and Abbeville. Quartz crystals are plentiful there. Early history is sketchy, but it appears that local people found crystals there over 100 years ago, and this is probably how the name arose -- the crystals sparkled like diamonds.
The most common type of quartz crystals are milky white or translucent. Both types can have the typical quartz shape, or they can be “skeletal”. A skeletal crystal looks sort of like a skeleton of a quartz crystal, such that the corners and edges are in the correct places, but the flat sides are indented. Most visitors to Diamond Hill also find some smoky quartz or amethyst. These are less plentiful, but they can be large (up to four inches and longer).
Most crystals at Diamond Hill have coatings on the surface. If a coating is yellow, tan, brown or orange, then it consists of some type of iron oxide. If a coating is black, then it is a manganese oxide (possibly pyrolusite). The coatings can be removed by soaking the crystals in oxalic acid or Super Iron Out. However, most people find the coatings attractive, and they give the specimens a unique and charming appearance. A cluster of white quartz crystals can look boring without the colorful coatings, so we advise removing the coating only if it is patchy or unattractive.
Amethyst and smoky quartz crystals from Diamond Hill are also usually coated. In these cases, it is best to remove the coating, because only then can the smoky or purple color of the crystals be seen easily and appreciated.
The official Diamond Hill web site is sponsored by the Georgia Mineral Society: See http://www.gamineral.org/commercial-diamondhill.htm.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Chester and Gail Karwoski, 706-769-8163
E-mail: gailkarwoski@hotmail.com
You may also contact:
Anna Hatfield, 864-446-7357
or Bryan Major, 910-547-0427
Ray Hill
Great South Gems & Minerals, Inc.
www.greatsouth.net
888-933-GEMS
Note: Only rock clubs have permission to print this article but must give credit to the author, Ray Hill, and Great South Gems & Minerals, Inc. For everyone else, please email us for permission.
 |
38 Bond Drive
Ellenwood, Georgia 30294 USA
1-888-933-GEMS (4367)
FAX: 770-389-8095 |
|
