When diamonds aren't diamonds

From Wikipedia: "Herkimer diamond is the misnomerous name for double-terminated quartz first discovered in exposed outcrops of dolostone at Little Falls in Herkimer County, New York and the Mohawk River Valley. "

Herkimer diamonds emerge from the earth looking like they do above. They are used in motion pictures when a large quantity of diamonds are needed.

The really lovely part? They are inexpensive (especially compared to real diamonds) and humanely mined in the US of A. No blood diamonds here, and minimal environmental impact (I hope).

I first came across Herkimer diamonds while ogling the earrings above, which sell for a scant $110. I absolutely adore how the roughness of the diamonds contrasts with the measured facets of the amethyst briolettes. Anyway, my curiosity was piqued because the price seemed low for earrings that contained numerous large, rough diamonds.

Moral of the story: Herkimer diamonds are not diamonds. They are much cooler than diamonds. Bought a strand of them today (only $25!!) and look forward to working with them. If nothing else, I will bet on them during poker games.