Treasure Hunting

For those who haven’t had the opportunity to ever go digging for quartz, I thought I would post a picture to give an idea of what a piece can look like when you first find it.  This isn’t a particularly great specimen, but it is similar to a lot that are easily found when digging around in an area that’s known to have quartz.  

No matter how hot it is, always make sure to wear gloves when digging.  Preferably the gloves will be a little sturdier than the cheap blue ones I was wearing that day.  These blue ones were lightweight gardening gloves and they ripped within an hour.  Crystals can be very sharp!  At least it was only the glove that got ripped apart and not my hand - though the latter has happened, too.  I even manage to get cuts when I’m sorting through them and cleaning them at home.  

We decided to do a little experiment with some of the crystals found at the Krystal Tips mining site.  The picture to the left shows a flat of some of the crystals that were dug there back in June.  As you can tell, they’re still pretty dirty.

The crystals in this collection don’t have very good points so we decided that we wanted to try polishing them in the rock tumbler to see how they would turn out.  But the first step is to get them clean.  So right now, they’re sitting in a bucket of soapy water on my front porch. 

Later on today, I plan on going out and rinsing them off.  I’m guessing they’ll still have some good hunks of dirt on them so they’ll probably need to soak a little more.   I’ve already noticed some purple in some of these crystals - maybe when they’re cleaned up more, some more amethyst will be seen.  But for the most part, they look to be mainly of the smoky and clear varieties.  I’m pretty curious to see how they’re going to turn out after being polished, especially the wands.

When rock hunting, there are a lot of tools and supplies that you can get at discount stores or make yourself.  However, there are some tools that you don’t want to skimp or try to compromise on.  One of these things is a decent rock hammer or rock pick. 

There are a lot of different names for these things.  The most commonly used ones are rock hammer, rock pick, and geology pick.  I’m used to calling them rock hammers so that’s the terminology I’ll use.  Whatever the case, if you get a flimsy one, you’ll soon regret it.

Rock hammers come in an assortment of sizes and weights.  Make sure to pick a weight that is suitable for you.  It’s best to go into a shop that sells rock hammers and other supplies so that you can pick them up and see which feels best in your hand.  If there’s no such shop near you and you’re buying online instead, here are some tips to keep in mind.

The weight of the rock hammer really does count!  It might seem like there’s not much difference between 14 ounces and 22 ounces, but wait until after you’ve been swinging that thing all day.  Trust me, you’ll sure feel the difference then.  I use a 14-ounce Estwing Supreme Rock Pick Hammer (model number E3-14P).  It’s sometimes called the “Ladies’ Rock Hammer” but that doesn’t mean that guys can’t use it, too.  It’s really just called that because it’s a more lightweight model - it’s not pink or anything like that.  It still chops through hard rock great.  But if you’re looking for a more “manly” version of this same rock hammer, try the 22-ounce version.

One of the things that I like best about this rock hammer is the grip.  It’s cushioned and reduces shock.  That makes it a lot easier to hold and a LOT less likely to cause hand injuries, including cuts and callouses.  This is a very important consideration, especially if you plan on spending hours on a rock hunting trip.

In the end, choose a rock hammer that works for you.  The hammer I use cost around $35.  But it’s also something that is going to last for ages and ages, so it’s well worth the expense.