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Kerry Diamonds?

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  • 07-04-2014 12:55am
    #1
    danbrosnan
    Registered Users Posts: 900 ✭✭✭


    Sometime in the early 19th century a white diamond was found in a Kerry river, it was given to queen Victoria and to this day is engraved on a crown dedicated to her...

    There is an old mine just outside tralee that once produced Kerry diamonds...


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    #2
    Step23
    Registered Users Posts: 128 ✭✭Step23


    danbrosnan wrote: »
    Sometime in the early 19th century a white diamond was found in a Kerry river, it was given to queen Victoria and to this day is engraved on a crown dedicated to her...

    There is an old mine just outside tralee that once produced Kerry diamonds...

    Interesting, where did you read/hear about that?

    I can confirm that Kerry Diamonds are actually quartz crystals. They are found in the tension gashes that occur in the sandstone rock that make up the Kerry coastline.

    I can more of less say actually diamonds have never been found in Ireland and mostly likely never will be as we don't have the types of rocks that diamonds occur in (kimberlites).

    Stephen


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    #3
    danbrosnan
    Registered Users Posts: 900 ✭✭✭danbrosnan


    Step23 wrote: »
    Interesting, where did you read/hear about that?

    I can confirm that Kerry Diamonds are actually quartz crystals. They are found in the tension gashes that occur in the sandstone rock that make up the Kerry coastline.

    I can more of less say actually diamonds have never been found in Ireland and mostly likely never will be as we don't have the types of rocks that diamonds occur in (kimberlites).

    Stephen

    Great to talk to someone who knows there stuff...

    Are kerry diamonds good quartz crystals.. Are they any different to other quartz crystals around the world...

    Have found some beautiful ones in different colours, pink, green and some with black running through them.. its interesting because its along the sea shore i find them...


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    #4
    Step23
    Registered Users Posts: 128 ✭✭Step23


    Kerry Diamonds, from what I've seen are generally well formed quartz crystals, they are clear, well terminated, and can be several cm long. The tension gashes they formed in were large enough for the crystals to develop into well formed crystals. Kerry (especially Dingle) would probably be one of the best locations in Ireland for quartz.

    The crystals you find are probably from where cliffs containing them have collapsed.

    The green colour you mention is actually another mineral which formed with the quartz, this is Chlorite. Again the pink colour is due to another mineral present, hematite (iron oxide). Sometimes you get Kerry Diamonds with a yellowish coating of iron oxide, I use oxalic acid to remove this.

    Stephen


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    #5
    danbrosnan
    Registered Users Posts: 900 ✭✭✭danbrosnan


    Step23 wrote: »
    Kerry Diamonds, from what I've seen are generally well formed quartz crystals, they are clear, well terminated, and can be several cm long. The tension gashes they formed in were large enough for the crystals to develop into well formed crystals. Kerry (especially Dingle) would probably be one of the best locations in Ireland for quartz.

    The crystals you find are probably from where cliffs containing them have collapsed.

    The green colour you mention is actually another mineral which formed with the quartz, this is Chlorite. Again the pink colour is due to another mineral present, hematite (iron oxide). Sometimes you get Kerry Diamonds with a yellowish coating of iron oxide, I use oxalic acid to remove this.

    Stephen

    Are they used any type of jewellery making??

    There lovely stones... Whats the black in them??


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    #6
    Step23
    Registered Users Posts: 128 ✭✭Step23


    I've seen some crystals which are gem quality, so in theory they could be cut into gem stones.

    Yes, they are quite attractive, I haven't had the fortune of actually collecting any, just have cleaned and cataloged them and seen some in private collections.

    I'm not sure what the black inclusions are, perhaps one of the minerals I mentioned already? In Herkimer, New York, you get "Herkimer Diamonds" again these a well formed double terminated quartz crystals, the quartz here is included with black material which is actually hydrocarbons.


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    #7
    danbrosnan
    Registered Users Posts: 900 ✭✭✭danbrosnan


    Was out again today searching found some very big crystals and some very small ones...

    Smaller ones seem to be a lot clearer, is there a way of cleaning them?


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    #8
    Step23
    Registered Users Posts: 128 ✭✭Step23


    danbrosnan wrote: »
    Was out again today searching found some very big crystals and some very small ones...

    Smaller ones seem to be a lot clearer, is there a way of cleaning them?

    Quartz is quite a robust mineral, so a good scrubbing brush, warm water, and some washing up liquid should work and won't do any damage.

    Stephen


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    #9
    danbrosnan
    Registered Users Posts: 900 ✭✭✭danbrosnan


    Step23 wrote: »
    Quartz is quite a robust mineral, so a good scrubbing brush, warm water, and some washing up liquid should work and won't do any damage.

    Stephen


    Your the man steve thanks for your help..


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    #10
    Step23
    Registered Users Posts: 128 ✭✭Step23


    No problem!

    Would be great if you could post some pictures of what you've been finding!

    Stephen


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    #11
    danbrosnan
    Registered Users Posts: 900 ✭✭✭danbrosnan


    Step23 wrote: »
    No problem!

    Would be great if you could post some pictures of what you've been finding!

    Stephen

    Will do, what about polishing them up?? Sandpaper??


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    #12
    Step23
    Registered Users Posts: 128 ✭✭Step23


    danbrosnan wrote: »
    Will do, what about polishing them up?? Sandpaper??

    It would take a lot of sanding to polish them, as quartz is around the same hardness as sandpaper (quartz is 7 on the mohs scale of hardness, which would be similar or higher to sandpaper, depending what the sandpaper is made from) it would also be quite labour intensive and you wouldn't end up with a smooth finish! Also sanding them has the risk of you creating a fine silica dust, which you wouldn't want to be inhaling! (I wear a dust respirator anytime I'm cutting quartz with a grinder). You'd ideally need a rock tumbler for polishing your quartz, it takes weeks though or so I've heard, but a good option if you want to make jewelery or have some polished stones! You can buy tumblers on ebay etc

    Stephen


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    #13
    An Ri rua
    Registered Users Posts: 4,475 ✭✭✭An Ri rua


    Step23 wrote: »
    I can more of less say actually diamonds have never been found in Ireland and mostly likely never will be as we don't have the types of rocks that diamonds occur in (kimberlites).

    Stephen

    Not true I'm afraid. The Brookeborough diamond of Northern Ireland proves diamonds can be found in Ireland.

    As a teen, I met a Canadian geologist testing and prospecting on Croghan Hill, Co Offaly for diamonds. Its a volcanic plug that went dormant in the Carboniferous period.


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    #14
    Step23
    Registered Users Posts: 128 ✭✭Step23


    An Ri rua wrote: »
    Not true I'm afraid. The Bolbrooke diamond of Northern Ireland proves diamonds can be found in Ireland.

    As a teen, I met a Canadian geologist testing and prospecting on Croghan Hill, Co Offaly for diamonds. Its a volcanic plug that went dormant in the Carboniferous period.

    Can you link me to any papers published on this? I remember being at a talk a few years back on whether diamonds could be found in Ireland or not, there was one possible spot where there had been prospecting in Donegal or NI, but as far as I remember, nothing was found.

    Stephen


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    #15
    slowburner
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,218 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    An Ri rua wrote: »

    As a teen, I met a Canadian geologist testing and prospecting on Croghan Hill, Co Offaly for diamonds. Its a volcanic plug that went dormant in the Carboniferous period.
    Prospecting is one thing, finding is another.


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    #16
    An Ri rua
    Registered Users Posts: 4,475 ✭✭✭An Ri rua


    slowburner wrote: »
    Prospecting is one thing, finding is another.

    Very much like research, my man. Its all about the 'find'.

    " In 1995 the British Geological Survey reported that the potential for a diamond discovery in Northern Ireland is good. Two reports from the Journal of the Royal Geological Society of Ireland refer to the 1816 discovery of the Brookeborough diamond in the Colebrooke River of Co. Fermanagh. The stone was presented to Lady Brooke and inspected by several jewellers in Dublin, who confirmed the stone to be a diamond."
    http://www.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/minerals/prospectivity/diamonds/

    Edit. I remember now. I wasn't a teen as I had ridden to Croghan Hill on a H100S. I was 23 and it was 1996. Same Canadian company as mentioned in above link, I imagine.


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    #17
    Step23
    Registered Users Posts: 128 ✭✭Step23


    An Ri rua wrote: »
    Very much like research, my man. Its all about the 'find'.

    " In 1995 the British Geological Survey reported that the potential for a diamond discovery in Northern Ireland is good. Two reports from the Journal of the Royal Geological Society of Ireland refer to the 1816 discovery of the Brookeborough diamond in the Colebrooke River of Co. Fermanagh. The stone was presented to Lady Brooke and inspected by several jewellers in Dublin, who confirmed the stone to be a diamond."
    http://www.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/minerals/prospectivity/diamonds/

    Edit. I remember now. I wasn't a teen as I had ridden to Croghan Hill on a H100S. I was 23 and it was 1996. Same Canadian company as mentioned in above link, I imagine.

    Very interesting! Thanks for providing the info!

    Stephen


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    #18
    KerryGems
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭KerryGems


    danbrosnan wrote: »
    Great to talk to someone who knows there stuff...


    Have found some beautiful ones in different colours, pink, green and some with black running through them.. its interesting because its along the sea shore i find them...

    Where are you finding them? Around Ballyheigue?
    I`ll be doing a small collection of different types of rocks, minerals and fossils from North Kerry for a local museum. We would appreciate your help find them.


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    #19
    danbrosnan
    Registered Users Posts: 900 ✭✭✭danbrosnan


    KerryGems wrote: »
    Where are you finding them? Around Ballyheigue?
    I`ll be doing a small collection of different types of rocks, minerals and fossils from North Kerry for a local museum. We would appreciate your help find them.

    They are found all along the dingle peninsula, again i know absolutely noting really about the science side of it just a few places you can find them..


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