Behold the Herkimer...

My birthstone is a diamond, something that I have always loved because I love the look of a clear stone. However, throughout my life, every diamond I ever owned was [maybe] lost or stolen. Perhaps they were misplaced but I rarely misplace anything of value, so, I believe thy were taken. A few years ago, a friend introduced me to the Herkimer diamond. He said it was a faux diamond used in jewelry before the man made cubic zirconium.

The Herkimer is a quartz stone found in Herkimer County, New York, and the surrounding area. The quartz is a double terminated quartz crystal, a rarer form of crystal, found forming in pockets of clay and not on the side of stone, dolostone. Because of this it is said to possess esoteric qualities. I loved it instantly because of it's clarity and because it is a quartz.  The beautiful, modest, approachable quartz.  I have always loved the magical look of the stone since I was a kid. Quartz is a pretty rock I have always been able to find, unlike diamonds. I have never come across a diamond on the ground, embedded in the dirt, or even any of my own, lost diamond jewelry. But I have stumbled upon pink quartz and it's made my day.  I don't think I'd ever lose a Herkimer.