Cape May diamonds

[1] In the 1960s a small intact quartz crystal was found at Sunset Beach which showed almost no signs of rounding by erosion.

Cape May diamonds are actually pieces of quartz washed down, and worn smooth in the process, from the upper Delaware River.

[2][3] However, geologists suggest the pebbles are local in origin, washing out of nearby Pleistocene gravel deposits.

[citation needed] The Native American tribe called the Kechemeche resided in what is now the southern portion of Cape May County, New Jersey.

Various sources attribute the Kechemeche with being the first to find Cape May diamonds and then using them as gifts or for trading with other tribes and with the newly arriving European colonists.