The easy way to prospect is to find pieces of vuggy rock and break them open with a heavy hammer. Usually any vugs found will be empty, but if you are lucky, the rock will break to reveal one or several “Herkimer diamonds” within a cavity. If your visit to the mine will last just a few hours or even a single day, this is a good way to spend your time.

Dolostone is a very tough rock, so expect to work hard. At locations where “Herkimer diamonds” are found, the dolostone is usually heavily silicified. This significantly increases the hardness and toughness of the rock. The use of safety glasses is required, and a pair of goggles is even better. Wise collectors wear gloves to protect their hands. We always wear jeans or heavy long pants and a long-sleeve shirt for “find and break” prospecting. Small pieces of dolostone will sometimes fly when a rock breaks, and they can easily cut or bruise a person wearing short pants.

The “find and break” prospecting method described above is employed by many people who visit these mines and can lead to a few good finds. The keys to success are selection of good rocks to break and not being discouraged if you break fifty rocks without finding a crystal. Here’s a tip: The best rocks to break are rocks with visible vugs on the outside. There might be more vugs inside.