Cuckoowaif
Stephen Gibson
Damn ! I think I have picked up a couple of these , wondered what they were , and threw them back ! I obviously have a lot to learn ....
NSW Diamonds
- Thread starter Gold689
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SWright
Steve Wright
Hi all
Diamonds are generally quite easy to tell from other stones. First they are heavy and will get trapped in any sluice, second they cannot be wet - this is a strange thing but trust me. It means that diamonds will always, unless disturbed, be found on the bottom of a stream like gold - or on clay bottoms. They will generally retain their octahedral (Diamond shaped) shape even after travelling long distances. Shattered ones only occur in or near primary deposits and will more often than not be a part octahedral shape.
If you think you are in a diamond producing area, like Beechworth, first jig your material, then pan it. If there are any white, or suspicious stones that are not obviously other stones such as sapphires, zircons and such, then you can do a simple SG test or have them X rayed.
araluen
Diamonds are generally quite easy to tell from other stones. First they are heavy and will get trapped in any sluice, second they cannot be wet - this is a strange thing but trust me. It means that diamonds will always, unless disturbed, be found on the bottom of a stream like gold - or on clay bottoms. They will generally retain their octahedral (Diamond shaped) shape even after travelling long distances. Shattered ones only occur in or near primary deposits and will more often than not be a part octahedral shape.
If you think you are in a diamond producing area, like Beechworth, first jig your material, then pan it. If there are any white, or suspicious stones that are not obviously other stones such as sapphires, zircons and such, then you can do a simple SG test or have them X rayed.
araluen
I see stones like this sometimes in the Mt Crawford to Williamstown region of SA. Almost crystal clear through the whole stone. But I have always assumed them to be quartz, and that is probably a correct assumption. How would I tell the difference? I have zero experience in stones, although I like to collect the tiny pink. red and yellow ones that live amongst the black sand, but that is probably better in another thread.........Heatho said:
I should have read the reply above, thanks SWright and Headbut
SWright
Steve Wright
Hi all
What you don't want to do is what the tin miners did at Bingara in New South Wales when they found what they first thought were diamonds in their tin sluices. They correctly remembered that diamonds are hard. Right, so what they did was go out and get an anvil and a hammer, put the little stones on the anvil and let go with the hammer. Not surprisingly the stones shattered all over the place, so they then said - nah they ain't diamonds then. When they kept finding them in the bottom of the sluices they gave them to their kids to play with because after all they were very pretty and shiny and it would a shame to throw them away.
They were diamonds!
It took a gem stone dealer from Europe that was in Sydney when some eventually turned up at his shop when someone was critical and took them in to identify.
So don't hit them. Diamonds are hard yes, which means that they can displace other materials - can be pushed into them. they are also very brittle. Some of the tin miners also used them the correct way to determine hardness. They pressed them into the iron shafts of their picks as a decoration.
Oh and btw diamonds are an unstable form of carbon at the surface of the earth. Put them into a decent fire and they will actually revert to the stable form of carbon at the surface of the earth - graphite.
Araluen
What you don't want to do is what the tin miners did at Bingara in New South Wales when they found what they first thought were diamonds in their tin sluices. They correctly remembered that diamonds are hard. Right, so what they did was go out and get an anvil and a hammer, put the little stones on the anvil and let go with the hammer. Not surprisingly the stones shattered all over the place, so they then said - nah they ain't diamonds then. When they kept finding them in the bottom of the sluices they gave them to their kids to play with because after all they were very pretty and shiny and it would a shame to throw them away.
They were diamonds!
It took a gem stone dealer from Europe that was in Sydney when some eventually turned up at his shop when someone was critical and took them in to identify.
So don't hit them. Diamonds are hard yes, which means that they can displace other materials - can be pushed into them. they are also very brittle. Some of the tin miners also used them the correct way to determine hardness. They pressed them into the iron shafts of their picks as a decoration.
Oh and btw diamonds are an unstable form of carbon at the surface of the earth. Put them into a decent fire and they will actually revert to the stable form of carbon at the surface of the earth - graphite.
Araluen
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Won't throw any of my gems away but would love to know what I have,loads of experience on this site and surely there is more pics out there
These are a couple of my "maybe diamonds" I wish
Diamond tester on eBay,I know .and I have sore fingers from trying to scratch my saphs..
Some people pics would be nice,big difference in the look and shape ie check heathos pic out not one of them fellas look the same from sparkles on the two bottom left to bigger topaz looken fella on the top right ..
Pics pics and more pics please,or maybe they mite be rarer then one thinks..
Varts...
Here's a Diamond ring I hit with UV light, the centre stone (Cognac Diamond) fluorecses a bit but check out the really bright 1. About 1 in every 10 are quite bright under UV.
When in Inverell the 1st time the lady in the Sapphire shop tested a couple of my Zircons that looked like Diamond, as a few have been found out on the Sapphire farm. A small one a few weeks back was mentioned too I think.
Wish I could have got a little closer to the ones on the tourist info centre. Better pics would have been good.
When in Inverell the 1st time the lady in the Sapphire shop tested a couple of my Zircons that looked like Diamond, as a few have been found out on the Sapphire farm. A small one a few weeks back was mentioned too I think.
Wish I could have got a little closer to the ones on the tourist info centre.
Better pics would have been good.
Really not sure mate, they really don't look anything like the Inverell ones. Though that little clear one next to the Green one looks similar. The different clear to honey colours really look like Zircons to me. The Green one maybe a Greeny Yellow Sapph.
Nice clear pic. Nice looking stones too.
Nice clear pic. Nice looking stones too.
SWright said:
I have seen a video clip where they heat a diamond red hot with a blow torch and then drop it in a beaker of liquid oxygen. It spins around like a piece of sodium in hot water and gets smaller and smaller. The carbon combines with the oxygen to turn it into carbon dioxide - one disappearing diamond.
Varts said:https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1229/1396009215_image.jpg
Are these anything like them ?
Hi Varts,
I don't think anything in there is diamond. Remember diamond is the hardest thing around. You dont't really get waterworn diamonds because no other rock is harder than them to wear them down, if that makes any sense.
Miguel.
excelpest2002
James wilson
hi mate get them tested i foound two west of lithgow as for crookwell reefs? they come via pipes of kimberlite and no other way in other words worn down diamond pipes from ancient super volcanics and yes we have a lot all the way to vic,two look like diamonds but pics are no way to say yes they are . a tester underr 200 is worthless too. one thing many do not know , an old diamond mine is now under water in the middle of our drinking water supply for sydney thats 100% fact how productive not much known but if you was making a killing in opal,gold,tin,copper or diamond i assure you itsd best kept in your family home. to find diamond they say is like being struck by lightning once a year for 20 yrs on the same day or a million to one for gem quality over 10gram its a billion to one , thats facts i can give you , no bull just facts, cheersGold689 said:Hi Everyone,
So far we have the Oberon diamonds Pics, but haven't found the famous Binda diamonds or Crookwell to Mittagong area.
If anyone have their own collection it would be great to see them in pics.
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/421/1382051397_oberon_diamonds.jpg
It would be great to have an idea what to look out for, before we toss them.
Cheers,
"B"
Ship of fools
Mat. T
I think it would be much better to find a diamond than be struck by lightning!
Just saying!
Matt T
Just saying!
Matt T
