As field trip coordinator for the Southern Appalachian Mineral Society, I scheduled a field trip to the Diamond Hill Quartz Mine in Abbeville County, South Carolina. I invited several other clubs to join us.

Diamond Hill is best known for its wide variety of quartz, including amethyst, smoky, skeletal, milky and more. Collecting can be done the hard way by digging in the native rock and soil or the not-so-hard way by scratching in the extensive spoil piles. Both methods were employed on this day, although most club members and guests opted for the easier method. But rather than prattle on about something so basic as digging in the dirt, I'll just let the following pictures tell the story of the day.