Mining for Herkimer Diamonds

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would ever mine, like actual mining...with a hardhat, shovel and a pick axe. Well, that's what we did as a family this summer.

Living in Hawaii, this never crossed my mind. So when my son told my husband and I about wanting to visit an actual mine to search for Herkimer Diamonds, we were baffled.

My son holding up one of the Herkimer Diamonds he mined at Mohawk Valley Mineral Mining.

Leap of faith

My son told us all about a youtuber that visited an actual mine in upstate New York where he unearths large Herkimer Diamonds. The youtuber is The Crystal Collector. He showed us a video of him finding impressively huge crystals. We were intrigued. We kept watching more videos and got so inspired.

I have traveled to New York before, but I stayed within the city. However, this was everyone's first time in upstate New York. I was nervous we would be venturing to a place that we have never been, we didn't know anyone. But my husband and I saw the look of earnest in our son and decided to take a leap of faith and booked our tickets and lodging.

The name Herkimer is an area in New York where they are found. And they are not really diamonds. They are actually quartz crystals. The crystals we have found here vary in color: we have seen some clear as glass, yellow and smoky.

Day #1

When we entered the property for the first time, we were so amazed by the lush green woods and expanse of land that the mine is home to. The property featured beautiful meadows and wooded areas. They had horses and goats freely grazing. There are several RVs to rent on the property. They even had an area were you can camp and pitch tents to have a more robust outdoor experience.

Day #2

The first day of mining, we didn't know where to start. We just found a spot and started hacking away at the mountain with the tools we brought with us. Next thing you know, the hours flew by so quickly, moving so much rock and dirt around. We found beautiful druzys, loose crystals here and there.

At he end of the first day, we got to our rented RV and were so exhausted. Who knew mining would be such hard work physically?

A few of the Herkimer Diamonds we mined at Mohawk Valley Mineral Mining.

Day #3

On our second day of mining, we were fortunate enough to make friends with a sweet, retired couple who gave us some amazing tips and even let us borrow some of their tools. Tom and I were so impressed at how strong and fit they were to be mining crystals. Their knowledge and expertise really helped us find so many crystals on our last day of digging.

Before we left, the sweet wife left us with some profound words. She said, when you spend so much time with rocks like I do, you see some similarities and qualities that rocks are kind of like people. At first they can seem so hardened, but if you put in the time to keep at it and crack through their hardened outside, you'll find that diamond inside of them. I will never forget that.

The boys hard at work breaking through the rock and soil.

A truly one-of-a-kind experience

We had an amazing and unique experience. It felt so good in my soul to be completely surrounded by the woods and nature. We felt so energized and pumped. My son did not want to leave! The wonderful people we met, the amazing and helpful staff made our experience memorable and enjoyable one! I'm so glad we made this trip out to Mohawk Valley Mineral Mining. My son has much to show and tell his friends the start of this coming school about his wonderful summer experience!

Tom, Joey and I would like to truly thank owner Scott and staff of Mohawk Valley Mineral Mining: Sam and Janelle for their wonderful hospitality, and especially Jeff for the amazing parting gift! We will definitely come back soon!

This cute goat was a mood...I had to take a photo!

Our family highly recommends making a visit to Mohawk Valley Mineral Mining in Sprakers, New York which is about a 4 hours drive from JFK. You never know... you might be lucky enough in finding the large and highly prized Herkimer Diamonds they are known for.

Please visit their website: mvmineralmining.com to view their gallery and book your trip!

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