Diamonds are found in weird places. There have been several found in VA and there is no geologic reason for them to be here. The largest was 14 carats and found near Richmond while workers were digging a ditch. Another was found in Pound, VA, close to KY. Several were found by miners looking for gold in the VA "Gold Belt." Diamonds and other materials are washed downstream and, when the stream changes it's bed, they get covered. Maybe they will wash out of fall out of an excavation later so that they can be found. There is no geologic reason for diamonds to be located anywhere in the eastern US, that I know of. I am a geologist, so I have a clue. The almond in Richmond was an octahedral shape, which makes it possible for the one in WVA to be cubic shaped.
I lived in Monroe county for twenty years. I knew several of the Jones family. Tad was in the real estate business and one of the brothers was the prosecuting attorney.
The youngest of the Jones boys was the Principal of my high school in Monroe Co. I remember they brought the diamond to our elementary school in the early 70s and we filed by to see it. There were two armed guards with it. I'd like to know what it looks like now if they ever cut it. It really wasn't that remarkable looking as it was. I can understand why they didn't think it was a diamond initially.
The picture we saw showed a squarish crystal that did not look like anything special, that’s true. Cool that you got to actually see that piece of Appalachian history!
Diamonds are found in weird places. There have been several found in VA and there is no geologic reason for them to be here. The largest was 14 carats and found near Richmond while workers were digging a ditch. Another was found in Pound, VA, close to KY. Several were found by miners looking for gold in the VA "Gold Belt." Diamonds and other materials are washed downstream and, when the stream changes it's bed, they get covered. Maybe they will wash out of fall out of an excavation later so that they can be found. There is no geologic reason for diamonds to be located anywhere in the eastern US, that I know of. I am a geologist, so I have a clue. The almond in Richmond was an octahedral shape, which makes it possible for the one in WVA to be cubic shaped.
I lived in Monroe county for twenty years. I knew several of the Jones family. Tad was in the real estate business and one of the brothers was the prosecuting attorney.
The youngest of the Jones boys was the Principal of my high school in Monroe Co. I remember they brought the diamond to our elementary school in the early 70s and we filed by to see it. There were two armed guards with it. I'd like to know what it looks like now if they ever cut it. It really wasn't that remarkable looking as it was. I can understand why they didn't think it was a diamond initially.
The picture we saw showed a squarish crystal that did not look like anything special, that’s true. Cool that you got to actually see that piece of Appalachian history!