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3.4" Golden Calcite Crystals w/ Dolomite & Herkimer Diamonds - NY
This is a beautiful, 3.4" wide specimen featuring golden calcite crystals that formed in association with dolomite crystals and tiny Herkimer diamonds. It comes out of the Benchmark Quarry in Montgomery County, New York, one of several sites known to produce "Herkimer diamonds".
It comes with an acrylic display stand.
It comes with an acrylic display stand.
About Calcite Crystals
Calcite crystals are a form of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) known for their diverse shapes, transparency, and vibrant range of colors. They typically form in rhombohedral, scalenohedral, or prismatic shapes, often with well-defined, sharp edges and glossy surfaces. Calcite crystals are often translucent or transparent, sometimes displaying a double refraction effect where objects viewed through the crystal appear doubled. They can appear in various colors—white, clear, yellow, pink, blue, green, and orange—depending on impurities or trace minerals.
A notable characteristic of calcite is its reaction with weak acids like vinegar, which causes it to effervesce, or fizz, as it releases carbon dioxide. This property makes calcite crystals a key tool in geological identification and studies. Calcite forms in many environments, from sedimentary rocks like limestone and marble to hydrothermal veins.
Calcite crystals are a form of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) known for their diverse shapes, transparency, and vibrant range of colors. They typically form in rhombohedral, scalenohedral, or prismatic shapes, often with well-defined, sharp edges and glossy surfaces. Calcite crystals are often translucent or transparent, sometimes displaying a double refraction effect where objects viewed through the crystal appear doubled. They can appear in various colors—white, clear, yellow, pink, blue, green, and orange—depending on impurities or trace minerals.
A notable characteristic of calcite is its reaction with weak acids like vinegar, which causes it to effervesce, or fizz, as it releases carbon dioxide. This property makes calcite crystals a key tool in geological identification and studies. Calcite forms in many environments, from sedimentary rocks like limestone and marble to hydrothermal veins.
Herkimer diamonds are not actual diamonds, but rather double terminated quartz crystals found in and around Herkimer County, NY. The diamond in the name is from not only their exceptional clarity, but also from the natural facets they display when found. Only crystals with these qualities found in Herkimer County, New York can be called "Herkimer Diamonds". Similar double terminated quartz crystals have also been found in abundance in Tibet and Afghanistan, but these are not true Herkimer Diamonds.
The geologic history of these crystals began 495 million years ago in a shallow sea. Waxy organic material along with quartz sand and pyrite was encased in rock made of dolomite and calcite. As sediment buried the rock and temperatures rose, crystals grew very slowly, resulting in quartz crystals of exceptional clarity. Inclusions can be found in these crystals that provide clues to the origins of the Herkimer diamonds: solids, liquids (salt water or petroleum), gases (most often carbon dioxide), two- and three-phase inclusions, and negative (uniaxial) crystals.
The geologic history of these crystals began 495 million years ago in a shallow sea. Waxy organic material along with quartz sand and pyrite was encased in rock made of dolomite and calcite. As sediment buried the rock and temperatures rose, crystals grew very slowly, resulting in quartz crystals of exceptional clarity. Inclusions can be found in these crystals that provide clues to the origins of the Herkimer diamonds: solids, liquids (salt water or petroleum), gases (most often carbon dioxide), two- and three-phase inclusions, and negative (uniaxial) crystals.
SPECIES
Calcite, Dolomite & Quartz (Herkimer Diamonds)
LOCATION
Benchmark Quarry, St Johnsville, Montgomery County, New York
SIZE
Specimen: 3.4 x 3"
CATEGORY
ITEM
#247249
