One of my favorite stones to use is quartz; Herkimer Diamonds specifically. Why? I love them for their shine and natural pointed ends, their energetic abilities, and the way they enhance each jewelry design with delicate, understated brilliance. They are more expensive than general rock or rose quartz, and more rare.
Each stone naturally forms in a double-terminated shape (pointed at each end) and is a beautiful creation of mother nature, each one unique. All form naturally so variations in length and width vary as well as how 'pointy' each stone is. Some points are more sharp, some soft or rounded.
Their "diamonds" nickname is derived from their intense water-clear clarity as compared to other natural gems and minerals.
Energetically, Herkimer Diamonds are an incredibly powerful Quartz crystal. Because of their double pointed ends, they have the ability to not only transmit their own energies, but to receive spiritual energy and to amplify and focus it intently. These stones have a memory, accepting and retaining information which can be retrieved at a later time. They may also be programmed with thoughts of love, well-being, or healing for others to draw on. On a hardness scale, a true diamond scores a ten. Herkimer Diamond Quartz falls at a 7.5 on the Moh's scale, giving the real diamond a close race, and making Herkimer pieces earth-conscious adornments. These phenomenal gemstones are close to five hundred million years old, and found only in Herkimer, New York, USA.
So from now on when you see Herkimer Diamonds listed as a material for an Ashley Rose jewelry design, you'll have a little more background on this amazing crystal. :)
- ar