Diamond Mountain Mining LTD is owned and operated as the passion-project of rockhound, outdoorsman, and mineral enthusiast Lawrence “Larry” Michon. Born in Chicopee, Massachusetts, Larry now splits his time living and working between Diamond Mountain in Little Falls, NY and North Adams in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. He has run a successful CPA and business consulting office in the Berkshires for over twenty six years, and also manages his multi-site rental property business in the area. Larry graduated from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) in 1979 with a B.A. in Business and Administration, later adding a concentration in accounting. Larry’s deep connection with the Earth can be traced back to his early childhood — he created his own vegetable garden from scratch in the backyard at age six and his sport-loving family barely knew what to do with such an inner-directed and nature-focused child! After graduating from college, Larry spent his formative years as a young adult hiking several long-distance hiking trails including the full length of the Appalachian Trail, and later paddling thousands of long distance river systems across the U.S. His intense passion for experiencing the outdoors later led Larry to his first discovery of the mineral collecting hobby in the 1990's with his young children, and the rest is history! Larry served as the President of The Northern Berkshire Mineral Club (NBMC), his local mineral club for many years, and has organized an annual local gem show and led crystal-related educational experiences for youth groups. Larry’s Herkimer Diamond digging career began in the 1990’s when his friend Tom Kustra, himself a mine owner, introduced him to hard rock mining at Diamond Acres in Fonda, NY.

The Diamond Mountain project began as a simple longing of one Herkimer diamond-loving rockhound to have a place to call his own. Larry’s vision of owning crystal-bearing land has been a longstanding one. In 2016 he began an active search for a piece of Herkimer diamond-bearing land in New York, with the plan of having his own digging claim to work after retiring from his full-time CPA business. This search proved harder than expected. However, at last, one of the last large parcels of crystal-bearing land in Herkimer County came onto the market. A stately home filled with antiques was bundled with this property, known locally as “The Million Dollar Mountain” because of the quality of crystals known to be there. Instead of a small backyard claim, Larry’s efforts landed him close to 60 acres and the passion-project of a lifetime. He had the choice — to restrict access, dig the land privately, and bring the rare Herkimer diamonds found there to market, or, offer the experience of digging for rare, world-class minerals in a beautiful, private, wooded site to the public. Diamond Mountain is the living dream of one passionate mineral lover who desires to elevate the hobby of rockhounding and offer something that the world has never seen before — a destination retreat center at a Collector’s Mine.

A native of Berkshire County, MA, Deena joins the Diamond Mountain team with a diverse range of professional skills and a personal passion for crystals and minerals. Deena earned her Bachelor of Arts from Williams College, graduating with top honors and specializing in visual arts and education. She has worked for nearly a decade in the field of Museum Education, most recently coordinating Family Programs for Brooklyn Museum, one of the largest museums in New York City. There, she led arts tours and classes for visitors of all ages, designed and marketed programs, and organized workshops and events for hundreds of people. When it comes to designing and developing exceptional experiences for the public and engaging with the community, Deena has the vision, experience, and creativity to make public visits and workshops at Diamond Mountain simply unforgettable.

Deena caught the digging “bug” and her rockhounding career took off after joining the Northern Berkshire Mineral club in fall of 2017. She brings crystal sales experience to the Diamond Mountain team from her past work running her own small online metaphysical shop, and her previous work as the assistant to Rocko Minerals, a fine mineral business in North Adams, MA. In addition, Deena is also a 200 hour-certified Hatha yoga instructor, specializing in therapeutics and yoga for trauma. She hopes to offer workshops at Diamond Mountain that combine meaningful experiences in nature with creative pursuits such as yoga, art-making, and wellness.