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Dr. C’s Blog about Exploring the Herkimer Mining District
Best Website for Herkimer Diamond Information - Made Possible by Collector Donations
Every year something new is discovered within the Herkimer Mining District. You can find these under New Discoveries 
The information, and photography, on this website is copyright protected by W. David Hoisington, Ph. D. unless another author/photographer is cited.
Welcome to the New Herkimer Diamond Story!
Return often and follow this developing story. Refresh your browser (right click) to see new updates
 The blog entries are aimed at presenting non technical discussions of the collaborative work being done on expanding the story of how Herkimer diamonds were formed.  Past blog entries can be viewed by clicking on next at the bottom of the page.  
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New Discoveries New Discoveries
What’s New!
Updated - 03/09/2019
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Crystal Frost Inclusions within Herkimer Diamonds - 12/06-12/2018
Thank you Shannon Haley Wilbur for the donation of 30 samples from the Fonda region.1/05/2019 and 3/2/2019 Check out her Facebook.
Crystal frost is often found at the contact of a Herkimer diamond with the matrix or at a curved contact, presumed to be a contact with hydrocarbon.  A beautiful curved contact is shown in middle of the photo below. There is also well defined crystal frost above this curved contact, shown as curved arches.
The crystal frost page is currently being updated. Out of the thousands of photos taken of crystal frost, only the very best have been added to this page. Go to Crystal Frost Page In the previous “What’s new” the importance of clear windows through the Herkimer diamond to the matrix was emphasized.  Many of the crystal frost photos are taken through these clear windows in the crystal. Think of the Herkimer diamond as capturing and preserving for us a snap shot of the past - freezing a moment in time as the crystal grew over what was there on the host rock, or in the fluids that surrounded it. Photographing the details of these inclusions gives us an opportunity to look back in time and gather a few more clues about how Herkimer diamonds were formed. We will be continuing to update the crystal frost page.
Special Micro Veing Photo Added - 02/23/2019
A very special photo of a micro vein cutting through both host rock and druze was added (photo 23a).
Thanks Frank M!
F#4 F#4
Photo Request!
In Place Pocket Photos