970-Carat White Diamond Rough Specimen Discovered in North America!

970 Carats -- Same specimen from three different angles
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There are many sham diamonds in this life which pass for real, and vice versa.

– William Makepeace Thackeray

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This rough gem sits on my bed stand, next to my Kindle, along with other rock and specimens I have picked up over the years.

It was acquired five years ago from a small rock shop in Sedona, Arizona, for $8.00. I don’t remember the name of the shop, and even if I did, I wouldn’t name it anyway.

I wouldn’t want the owner to feel lousy for selling such a valuable piece for so little...

Relax.

This is my fantasy, and I’m pulling your leg; while quite lovely, this 970-carat beaut is just a piece of quartz, so $8.00 was about right, maybe even too much for such a rough piece of this size. I own quite a few quartz specimens, most of them polished points, spheres, generators, and odd shapes.

This is the only piece in my possession that looks as if it came straight from the ground.

But I was drawn to this piece because it is sparkly and contains quite a few rainbow inclusions, which, I understand, is a clue that this isn’t a chunk of diamond. Those flashes of colors in faceted white diamonds are caused by the prismatic characteristics of faceted diamonds, not by inclusions.

In general, faceted diamonds exhibit more “fire” than faceted quartz and just about any other gem.

Yet rough diamonds are quite dull looking – it’s the cutting and faceting that brings out the clarity, fire, and huge value.

I wish this were a real diamond in the rough; with its size and brightness (with quite a few “clean” areas), such a piece would command at least seven figures, perhaps more. Then I would be able to retire in a style to which I am not accustomed.

But, alas, I fear that my retirement shall remain ordinary.

Still, I think I’ll order a diamond tester and test it anyway – you just never know.

And as I await the tester’s arrival, I can dream on.

I’ll let you know if it turns out to be a diamond in the rough. In that case, I will have hidden my treasure, away from my house, in a vault somewhere.

If I don’t update this post, you can assume that my quartz is just a quartz – nothing exciting to find here.

One lesson can be learned from this post: be sure to read articles to their logical conclusion; I suspect that someone out there will get all riled up about the photographs and email me about my “diamond” discovery and try to acquire it.

I will tell that person to please read this article to the end.

Until next time...