Lucky you, April babies! Your traditional birthstone is the most well-known, and perhaps most coveted gemstone to date: the diamond. Though they naturally occur in a variety of colors, from canary to chocolate, blue, and, recently gaining in popularity, salt-and-pepper varieties, the classic will always be the brilliant white diamond.

Diamonds are the hardest gemstones on earth, according to the Mohs hardness scale, and have long been symbols of enduring and eternal love. With their brilliance and strength, they are thought to bring the wearer clarity, balance, abundance, and support with better relationships, as well as an increase in inner-strength.

While natural, conflict-free diamonds are a staple, a great, budget-mindful gemstone alternative is the colloquially named Herkimer diamond. Herkimer diamonds are a type of quartz crystal that naturally forms in the earth with double end points; thus, they are also referred to as “double terminated” quartz. They were discovered in Herkimer, New York, and “diamond” refers to both the shape and the fact that they are 7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, which is .5 harder than common quartz.

As manifestations of pure light energy, these clear quartz crystals are powerfully high-vibrational, boosting intuitive abilities and amplifying spiritual energies, as well as the energies of other stones near them. They can also be used as attunement stones. While the common clear quartz crystal is well known for attracting positive energy, with the double termination of its points, Herkimer Diamonds have the added power of deflecting negative energy. Similar to natural diamonds, they also imbue clarity and balance.

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