Spectacular Amethyst From the Diamond Hill Quartz Prospect Abbeville County, South Carolina

摘要

The Diamond Hill quartz prospect is located near the town of Antreville, Abbeville County, South Carolina, in the northwestern part of the state. The site has been visited for at least one hundred years by mineral collectors, gem and mineral clubs, and the curious in search of the many varieties of quartz crystals that can be found here. References to the site can be found as far back as the 1950s in local mineral club newsletters. One of the first times it was mentioned in a magazine was in Rocks & Minerals (Zodac 1959). In 2003, the mine was purchased by local collector Ches-ter "Chet" Karwoski and his wife, Gail. With the aid of a smaE crew of diggers and a trackhoe, operated by Chunky Tiller, Karwoski began prospecting new areas in search of undiscovered crystal veins and pockets. This led, in fall 2005, to numerous fine crystals and clusters of smoky quartz being collected in what was later named the "Chunky-Dave Pocket." Individual crystals to 5-10 cm across were collected. The smoky crystals were beautiful, exhibiting shiny faces and multiple phantoms; some were atop amethyst crystals. This discovery was documented by Jacquot (2006) and was considered by many to be the most significant find evermade at the site. Since that time, attractive specimens of amethyst and smoky quartz crystals have continued to be collected, but nothing has compared to those found in spring 2008.