赫基蒙县
New York, USA
美国纽约州赫基蒙县是『赫基蒙钻石』得名之地——天然棱角极其锋利、水般透明的双尖水晶。
Herkimer County, New York, is the source of the famous 'Herkimer diamonds' — exceptionally clear, doubly-terminated quartz crystals that grew free inside cavities in ancient dolostone.
Crystals grown in a rock cavity
Despite the name, Herkimer diamonds are quartz, not diamond. They formed in gas pockets within a Cambrian dolostone, where they grew unattached and developed natural points at both ends — a habit that gives them their gem-like sparkle.
What collectors look for
The prize is water-clear, doubly-terminated quartz with bright faces, sometimes enclosing bubbles, water, or black anthraxolite. Clean 'floater' crystals and aesthetic clusters in the host rock are the most sought-after.