The "Sparkling Little Beach Gems" Story

It was an ordinary day.  We're headed to Cape May for a day of fun.  The "we" would be my wife Carol, by brother Steve, his wife Kathy and myself.  Well, after we were all shopped out in town and had filled our stomaches at the Lobster House, we headed toward "the end of the world" as my brother called it.  

Steve looks at Cape May Diamonds that another
beachgoer has found.

 Sunset Beach is the south-western most spot in New Jersey.  After we parked the car, the girls headed to the Sunset Beach Gift Shop while Steve and I headed to the beach.  Not to swim, but to scour the beach for Cape May Diamonds.  The Kechemeche Indians were the first to find the stones that were thought to possess supernatural power that would bring success and good fortune.  I have spent time before searching for the little gems and told my brother all about how much fun it is to find for them.  

Brothers search for gems for their wives.

 He was ready to go so we first approached a woman who was sitting on the sand, sifting through it.  She showed Steve what he was looking for as I began to look.  Cape May Diamonds are pure quartz crystals that are found in a variety of sizes.  They are from the upper reaches of the Delaware River, some 200 miles upstream where for thousands of years swirling waters have loosened pockets and veins of quartz crystals.  

My Cape May Diamonds

 The crystals begin their long journey toward the ocean which takes thousands of years before they end at the mouth of the river.  The offshore sunken concrete ship "Atlantus" causes them to direct their course toward the beach where Steve and I are currently searching for them today.  

Cape May Diamonds made into earrings.

 Hard to think that the small semi-clear crystals we are picking out of the sand have been traveling for thousands of years to reach us.  These crystals, when polished in a tumbler for days and then faceted, have the appearance of a real diamond.  Before scanning equipment was available, many a jeweler was fooled by people such as Steve and me.  I can see the excitement on my brother's face as he finds a variety of different sizes from the beach.  We stop to compare our finds, than continue our search.  As our wives arrive we tell them the news that we have found them the gems they have been searching for.    

Steve and LDub after a great day searching for
gems with the concrete ship in the background.

 Didn't seem too impressed with our discoveries, though.  Steve tells me how much fun he had and that he is going to return another time before they leave at the end of the week.  Also going to buy a tumbler so he can make them appear like real diamonds, then sell them in groups on eBay.  Now why didn't I think of that?  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.