| World Championship Quartz Crystal Digging Contest. October 2004 |
My husband and I wanted to share the highlights of our very first crystal dig in
Mt. Ida, AR.
This is an annual event in Mt. Ida Arkansas. I have to say it's in the middle of no
where. In this crystal dig you turn in the best point and the best cluster at the end of
each day. It is then graded and given a score. All the results are posted daily so you
know what your standing are over the 3 day dig. Both times that we have
participated in the dig, there has been anywhere from 175-210 diggers.
Each morning everyone meets at the fair grounds for coffee, donuts and the
instructions for the day. We had 4 different mines to chose from and everyone
heads out to the mines at the same time. There are some folks that have been
digging at the crystal dig for 15 or more years.
It was our 3rd year as rock hounds and we had never dug crystals before. We
soon found out it was completely different from diggin' rocks. We found only one
little point, and no clusters the first 2 days. We only had one day left and it wasn't
looking to promising.
The evening of the second day, we stumbled literally into an old crystal miner.
We told him we were there for the crystal dig. Of course the first words out of his
mouth was, "did ya find any crystal?" We had to tell him we suck at crystal diggin'.
Well, he invited us to sit and chat awhile. The wonderful stories he told! He had
been digging crystals for 45 years. We listen and just like a sponge we absorbed. He
told us how to find the crystals and how to diggem' .
The last day we did just what the miner told us to do, and Yahoo!!!!! we found the
vug. We got into a 4 inch vug, and spent 6 hours clearing the rock away. So
exciting!!!!! Its hard work digging those crystals.
Bucket after bucket, I kept stopping to admire them. After all it was the first time
they had seen day light in 260 million years, or even a human for that matter. Ok,
off the subject I know. Ted (my husband) kept telling me," just put them in the
bucket". I was so amazed. It is incredible that they just knew to grow that way.
How many crystals in that vug you ask, 11- 3 gal buckets of crystals from tennie
wennie to 3 inch water clear quartz crystals. Lots of real nice double terminated
water clear quartz. I also found a super 1.5 x 2.5inch double terminated quartz with
rutile. It is the coolest!!!! I love rutilated quartz! All the quartz from this vug was
water clear and beautiful. We had the best time
Mt. Ida, AR.
This is an annual event in Mt. Ida Arkansas. I have to say it's in the middle of no
where. In this crystal dig you turn in the best point and the best cluster at the end of
each day. It is then graded and given a score. All the results are posted daily so you
know what your standing are over the 3 day dig. Both times that we have
participated in the dig, there has been anywhere from 175-210 diggers.
Each morning everyone meets at the fair grounds for coffee, donuts and the
instructions for the day. We had 4 different mines to chose from and everyone
heads out to the mines at the same time. There are some folks that have been
digging at the crystal dig for 15 or more years.
It was our 3rd year as rock hounds and we had never dug crystals before. We
soon found out it was completely different from diggin' rocks. We found only one
little point, and no clusters the first 2 days. We only had one day left and it wasn't
looking to promising.
The evening of the second day, we stumbled literally into an old crystal miner.
We told him we were there for the crystal dig. Of course the first words out of his
mouth was, "did ya find any crystal?" We had to tell him we suck at crystal diggin'.
Well, he invited us to sit and chat awhile. The wonderful stories he told! He had
been digging crystals for 45 years. We listen and just like a sponge we absorbed. He
told us how to find the crystals and how to diggem' .
The last day we did just what the miner told us to do, and Yahoo!!!!! we found the
vug. We got into a 4 inch vug, and spent 6 hours clearing the rock away. So
exciting!!!!! Its hard work digging those crystals.
Bucket after bucket, I kept stopping to admire them. After all it was the first time
they had seen day light in 260 million years, or even a human for that matter. Ok,
off the subject I know. Ted (my husband) kept telling me," just put them in the
bucket". I was so amazed. It is incredible that they just knew to grow that way.
How many crystals in that vug you ask, 11- 3 gal buckets of crystals from tennie
wennie to 3 inch water clear quartz crystals. Lots of real nice double terminated
water clear quartz. I also found a super 1.5 x 2.5inch double terminated quartz with
rutile. It is the coolest!!!! I love rutilated quartz! All the quartz from this vug was
water clear and beautiful. We had the best time
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