LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Our county's striking gems, the Lake County diamonds, however unique, are not true diamonds but semi-precious stones.

Lake County diamonds have a rating of 7.8 to 8 on the Moh's Scale of Hardness. Real diamonds rate a 10 on the scale.

Our “diamonds” are really a type of quartz, comprised of silicon dioxide, and some other trace elements.

Geologists state that quartz, a common mineral which occurs in nature, grows at its own particular rate.

This quartz-growth occurs according to the temperatures in the earth.

Our quartz specimens in Lake County, known as Lake County diamonds, formed in very specific, high temperatures, in lava flows which are thought to have reached about 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit.

The distinctive way in which our Lake County jewels formed make them one-of-a-kind, to be found only in Lake County.

Clear Lake's sentinel, the 4,305 foot Mount Konocti – actually a dormant volcano – was once a teeming, erupting and violent volcano.

The portion of Mount Konocti that we now see is thought to be what is left of 350,000 year-old – or older – pyroclastic flows.

During this time of very high temperatures our particular quartz specimens formed luxurious, lustrous crystals. (It's all in the location, location, location!)

Lake County diamonds' elegant crystals are so tempting to collect because of their distinctive light-transmitting property, or “refractive index.”

The lavas of long ago weathered, forming gravels and soils, leaving the Lake County diamonds behind.

These stunning sparklers are, hence, easier to find after a rain when the dirt and dust have washed them clean. The diamonds are usually clear, but lavender-hued stones also can be found.

Lake County diamonds are able to cut glass like a diamond, and have been used both industrially and commercially. They are used most often in distinctive, faceted jewelry.

Our Lake County museums and rock shops have some amazingly large Lake County diamond specimens. They are commonly found in Lake County in the Hidden Valley Lake and Perini Hill areas. (Obtain permission prior to hunting, however, as these are private properties, for the most part.)

The Lake County Museum says: “Lake County diamonds were called 'Moon Tears' because they are supposed to be the tears the Moon shed when she fell in love with a young Pomo Chieftain, and her brother, the Sun made her go back into the sky. Lake County Diamonds were placed on burial mounds by some tribes to protect the spirits of the newly departed from evil spirits or demons, who love the darkness and when they saw the ‘moon tears’ would think the moon was shining and go away.”

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is an educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.