diamonds

bigalathenstn

Jr. Member
Mar 20, 2007
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what do diamonds look like in the rough when you dredge them out of a creek? Im finding small clear,pink, and yellow gems in the sluice on my dredge, they are mostly round and some you can see through and some are milky,and they are pretty heavy because the stay right in with the black sand and do not wash out of the sluice,I tried to take a picture but they dont show up good, they are small, bout 1/4 the size of a match head or smaller.Im dredging in the Appalachian mountains in SE Tennessee if that helps.Does anybody have a picture of some diamonds that they have dredged up?
thanks
 

allen_idaho

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Dec 4, 2007
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Culdesac, Idaho
Sounds like it could be diamond or sapphire. I think your best bet would be to test for hardness or take one for testing at a jeweler.

The weight and color make me lean toward diamond. Unless you are getting blue stones as well.

Simply describing what a rough diamond looks like is a little difficult. I can't even think of how to do it beyond clear stone. :)
 

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bigalathenstn

Jr. Member
Mar 20, 2007
80
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nope never found a blue one except while dredging in GA,I find blue and red down there, but I've been finding lots of these light pink and clear yellowish stones here in TN,they are coming from the blue clay layer and from cracks in the bedrock, its the 1st time I've found them like this,also got about a gram an a half of gold out of the same spot .I did take one and scratch the side of one of my glass gold vials, it scratched it pretty good
 

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allen_idaho

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Dec 4, 2007
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Culdesac, Idaho
In that case I would definately recommend taking one or two samples to a jeweler for verification. You have most likely found a kimberlite layer. If it is diamond, you may wish to keep the location hush hush. :)
 

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ATGem

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Sep 28, 2007
37
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Central Florida
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If they are Diamond some of them should look like a double pyramid. If they are Sapphires they will have one flat side and shine like you placed oil on them when wet. I have found them in Ga. And NC so it is possable you have found some.
 

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Nashoba

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Sep 20, 2006
1,400
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Washington and Oregon
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If the are left in a sluice box from gold prospecting it sure sounds like you have diomonds and paybe saphires as well. We find a few each year while dredging but, to date, all have been commercial grade. In TN however you could well have some gem quality stones!
Good luck and keep us posted on what you find out.
~Nash~
 

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hmmm

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Jun 9, 2007
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i found this topic , i made me think about three pink sand we get from a creek. it is heavier then the black sand and creates a pink layer similar to this pink sand we panned from a shear.
 

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hmmm

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here is a blow up of the pink sand from the creek.
 

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rockhound

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Apr 9, 2005
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Diamonds are not clear, but milky, and also greasy looking. They are so hard that tumbling down a creek or river does not polish them. They are not translucent in nature.They are also 8 sided, mostly.
 

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allen_idaho

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Dec 4, 2007
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Culdesac, Idaho
It looks like you have iron and sapphire there. That is a good sign because they share a similar weight and are usually found together.

All I can say is that you should take a sample and have them checked out.
 

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Atticus Finch

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I've read where the Appalachian mountains have tons of all sorts of valuable gemstones.

Sounds like you're on to something.

And remember, just think about the size of an emerald in a ring or small pendent...they are very small.

Good Luck
 

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hmmm

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Jun 9, 2007
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There is one thing to note, the creek flows through a volcanic crator and there was kimber light found about 18 miles west .
 

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