Ever wanted to find those classic looking quartz crystals in the wild? “Payson Diamond” hunting at Diamond Point is a unique outdoor adventure where families and beginners alike can find real quartz crystals, often times right on top of the ground, with no special experience needed. Read on to discover the wonders of finding these special gems for yourself!
Located in Tonto Pass National Forest, Diamond Point is a designated rock collection site featuring colorful chert, Paleozoic fossils, and, of course, quartz crystals amongst other fun geological finds. Our focus for this trip was on the quartz crystals, but more specifically diamond points. While regular quartz could be found at this site, diamond points are special because of their natural double-terminated formations and exceptional clarity, which gives them a sparkling, gem-like appearance. Double-terminated crystals, which form with natural points on both ends, are relatively rare because they must grow freely in open cavities without attaching to a surrounding surface.
Now, before we could begin, it was important to know the rules. Here’s a link to the rules and regulations as provided by the Forest Service. It is important to note that, depending on the time of year that you are reading this, while small hand tools are allowed, digging is only permitted October through February. That was one of our big reasons for visiting in January and it was a good decision too because we quickly learned that, while there are crystals right on the surface, digging often times led to finding the bigger gems.
Disappointingly, however, it became obvious upon our first few steps out of the car that plenty of collectors were not following the rules. Huge holes one could only make with full-sized shovels or even machinery were peppered across the collection site, making for a great way for one to twist their ankle. Not only should the holes not be as big as they are, you are supposed to leave no trace and cover anywhere that you dig.
But, putting the sad reality of those who ruin it for others aside, it was time to get to the fun! We chose January for the sake of being able to dig but upon entering the shade of the ponderosa pines, the chill hit us hard and so did the realization that there was still snow on the ground. We each had to go back to the car and put on a few more layers so as not to freeze to death and become a fossil of our own.
Not dissuaded in the slightest, we put our hoods up to stave off the bite of the icy wind and lowered our heads to begin the search. At first we all had a bit of trouble finding anything. While my parents had been to Diamond Point before, this was my first time, and I was having trouble training my eye to find what we were looking for. It didn’t help that the ice and snow glinted much in the same way a crystal would. If you have the chance to go when there’s no snow on the ground I recommend it!
My mom was the first to find a crystal to which we all ran over to where she was in hopes to find our own. Unfortunately for the rest of us, that would be the only find for the first hour or so until we eventually decided to move locations. The Forest Service provides a 35 acre area for collecting so it is not unusual to need to get back in the car and move a little further down the road if you are not having any luck. Funnily, my first find of the day was during this transition from one location to the next. I caught the gleam of what I thought was a piece of glass in the corner of my eye and went over to investigate. Right there in the middle of the road was the pointy end of a crystal. And while it wasn’t double terminated like I had hoped, it was still undeniably beautiful!
Encouraged by my find, and starting to get that treasure-hunting fix (it really is addicting), our next location proved to be much more fruitful. Soon we were all finding little pockets of crystals littered across the ground. And, I wish I had learned sooner, that if you dig in an area where you found crystals on the surface, there’s a chance you’ll find bigger crystals down below. Digging is a lot of work, however, especially refilling all of the holes, so I didn’t really do this until the end of our trip. I recommend bringing gardening gloves if you have them because you’ll want to sift through the dirt you dug up to make sure you didn’t miss any precious crystals.
While I didn’t find the biggest gem of the day, I did go home with some pretty great pieces. I can’t wait to make these gems into jewelry or display them on my bookshelf. As for the other partial pieces, I’ve got a plan to make a little treasure chest out of them inspired by Moroccan wedding chests. Stay tuned to find out what that ends up looking like!
We kept at it the entire day. Supposedly, the best time to look is at dusk or dawn due to the angle of the sun but my mom joked, “I don’t think they meant from dusk till dawn!”
While rare, there are also crystals with some color on them like this partial one I found, likely colored by the iron in the host rock. My dream is to find a purple one but they are basically like finding gold.
If I were to go again, I would spend more time digging and not mess around with a bad location. A lot of rockhounders online will say this site is picked over, and while there’s evidence of some greedy people out there, I still think this area is worth visiting, especially after a good rain (or snow) when the water has revealed new gems. Have patience, follow the rules, and good things will come to you!
If you plan to go, please comment below any questions or let us know your experience! It’s always fun to hear from other rockhounders.
Cows, views, and the fire lookout. All around a great day!
For other rockhounding adventures read here> Rockhounding
New to rockhounding or want your kids to enjoy the adventure? Check out our rockhounding journal to help track your collection and give kids something to do on the car ride home!
Thanks for reading and as always, have fun, be safe, and never give up on your travel dreams!
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