At Treasure Mountain, you keep
all the crystals
you find!

Treasure Mountain has the easiest digging you'll find anywhere!

HOW TO DIG FOR “DIAMONDS”
There are several ways to prospect for Little Falls "Diamonds." You should choose the methods that are best suited to your physical
condition, age, stamina, tools, and, above all, determination!

Stooping & Picking
This is the easiest method of all. On a sunny day (particularly following a hard rain), a sharp-eyed collector can find hundreds of diamonds washed out of the soil, sparkling in the bright sunshine. The telltale glint of a crystal can sometimes be spotted from a hundred yards away.

Dirt Digging
At Treasure Mountain, digging in the dirt can be extremely productive. A garden scratcher, trowel, and shovel come in handy for this type of prospecting. Over the millennia, thousands of feet of overlying ledge have been weathered away by the combined effects of freezing, thawing, and rain. Often, the quartz remains unaffected by these forces, due to it's hardness. These remaining crystals are found lying buried in the dirt atop and around the ledge, just waiting for you to come along and dig them out. Some people use a kitchen strainer or small mesh screen to make it easier to pick the sparkling gemstones out of the dirt.

We offer a wide variety of digging sites,
both open and wooded.

Loose Rock Breaking
This method is quicker and a lot less strenuous than trying to move hard ledge. The area below the ledge face is littered with loose pieces of rock that have been removed from ledge. These often contain small vugs that can be very productive. A crack hammer and chisel are ideal for this work. Keep your eyes open for pits or pores in the rock. These may indicate a hidden vug, which may contain a sparkling crystal. Of course not all the vugs are hidden - it's a great thrill to turn over a chunk of dolomite and spot a beautiful gem flashing in an open pocket.

Prospecting tools are available for rent,
or you can bring your own.

Hard Rock Mining
This is the most difficult and demanding approach, but is the most reliable and productive method. If you want to mine the grayish tan dolomite ledges in the digging areas, you'll need sledgehammers, rock chisels and pry bars. Many hard rock miners fashion their own special chisels out of steel recycled from car or truck springs. Tackling the hard ledge requires time, strength, and a healthy back. Devoted miners will spend days or even weeks removing hard rock to expose the pocket layer along thebase of the ledge where the largest crystal cavities are found. There are cavities in the dolomite above the pocket layer, but the smaller vugs tend to produce fewer crystals. A good pocket in the crystal layer can yield half a bushel of crystals!

WHAT TO BRING
Besides the tools discussed above, here's a list of suggested gear you might want to bring along to make the collecting easier and more fun:

• Prospecting tools are available for rent, or you can bring your own (rock hammer, chisels, hand scratcher, trowel, broom or crush, sifter, sledge hammer, wedges, gads, pick ax, crowbar)
• Eye protection (if you're planning to do any hammering)
• Gloves
• Plastic bags to store your finds (we prefer the kind that zip open and closed)
• Sunscreen
• Tarp or umbrella to provide shade
• Kneeling pad
• A bucket or backpack to carry everything in.
• Lunch and snacks (especially important for young children!)
• Drinking water.

WHAT TO WEAR
We've seen people collect in everything from dresses and high heels to open-toed sandals and business suits - but they didn't stay long in the mine! For comfort and safety, we suggest the following:

• Boots or sturdy shoes (steel-toed boots are safest)
• Jeans or rugged long pants
• T-shirt (summer); long-sleeved shirt (spring and fall)
• Hat

Remember, prospecting for diamonds is dirty work, so choose old clothes that you won't mind getting dirty.

© Copyright 2001 Treasure Mountain Diamond Mine