Herkimer quartz crystal specimens make wonderful display pieces as they nestle into their natural home; as you see in the pictures below.
Many times a beautiful Herkimer crystal cannot be removed from the rock it has grown in without damage. This is when you end up with an incredible rock and mineral specimen.
The rock a Herkimer Diamond is found is dolomite. It was formed when the limestone and calcite bedrock, then beneath the sea, felt the addition of magnesium. Scientist's have dated this time at over 500,000,000 (yes, million) years ago. Pockets or vugs formed in the dolomite and Herkimer diamonds grew inside these vugs. Many of these vugs are coated in a sugary crystal, referred to as 'drusy crystals'. These are micro-crystals that sparkle brilliantly. View them through a loop if you have the opportunity.
As the pictures and pages below show, these crystal, rock and mineral specimens display beautifully in their natural matrix setting. Photographs of matrix pieces will take longer to load, please be patient with these pages.