Digging for diamonds can be a profitable endeavor. While most diamonds are unearthed as part of commercial mining efforts that sift through large amounts of soil, there are also public diamond mines where ordinary citizens look for gems the old fashioned way. If you would like to try your luck at finding a fortune in the diamond mines, there are a few prospecting tools that you should expect to take with you.
Digging Tools
Diamond prospecting involves sifting through large amounts of soil in search of buried diamonds. This makes digging one of the most basic elements of diamond prospecting. Whether you want to simply dig up some surface soil to sift through, or dig down to deeper layers of earth, you will need some form of digging tools.
The primary prospecting tools for digging are the pick and shovel. The pick can be used to break up ground that is rocky or packed hard, making it easier for the shovel to do its job. A spade shovel should be used, as opposed to a flat, square shovel blade. The pointed blade of the spade shovel gives you the added ability to penetrate the ground.
Transporting Tools
In most cases, the soil will be sifted at a location that is a short distance from where the digging takes place. This means that it is important to have some method of transporting the soil from the dig site to the sifting location.
The most common methods of moving soil are the bucket and wheelbarrow. A wheelbarrow can move larger amounts of earth with less effort, however, public diamond mines often have rules against using anything with wheels or a motor. In those cases, a plain bucket works just as well. If using a five gallon bucket, avoid overfilling it to the point where the bucket is too heavy to carry.
Sifting Tools
The primary sifting tool is a screen box. This is a small, hand-held wooden box that has a screen bottom. A small amount of soil is placed into the screen box. It is then sifted through water to wash away the dirt, so that only stones and minerals remain. These items must be inspected carefully to see if diamonds are present before discarding the stones and starting over with more dirt.
The screen box requires water for sifting. If a stream or other natural water source is not present, then some type of water tank will be required. The tank should be large enough to completely submerge the screen box.