Latest Diamond Finds
Diamond mine – Crater of Diamonds
Check out what lucky prospecters at the Crater of Diamonds have found so far this year. Remember, they get to keep what they find. You can too.
The Mine & The Park
It's finder's keepers at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. The only public diamond mine in the world, Crater of Diamonds offers you a one-of-a-kind adventure - the opportunity to hunt for real diamonds and to keep any you find.
You'll search over a 37-acre plowed field - the eroded surface of an
ancient, gem-bearing volcanic pipe. Begin your diamond hunting
adventure at the visitor center featuring exhibits and an audio/visual
program that explains the area's geology and offers tips on recognizing
diamonds in the rough.
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Diamond Springs Water Park
Crater of Diamonds State Park
Since diamonds were first discovered on the site in 1906, over
75,000 diamonds have been unearthed. The Park offers 59 Class A
campsites, picnic sites, a summertime café, laundry, gift shop, hiking
trails, interpretive programs and Diamond Springs Water Park.
When John Huddleston plucked two diamonds from the greenish-colored
dirt of his farm, a hysteria known as "diamond fever" ensued. Although
the excitement has since waned, interest in Arkansas's diamond mine
remains high. About 60,000 people come to Huddleston's old farm site,
now the Crater of Diamonds State Park, each year to search for these
precious gems. The crater is the only diamond mine in the world where the public can pay a fee to dig and keep any gems they find.
Dig for your own diamond
The Legend of "Diamond John" - Howard Millar, a former operator of a tourist operation at the Crater of Diamonds
and an expert on the crater's history, wrote in his book, "It Was
Finders-Keepers at America's Only Diamond Mine," that two geologists had
studied the crater site several years before Huddleston found diamonds here. However, they didn't find any diamonds.
In 1906, Huddleston bought a farm on the site that the geologists
had studied and on Aug. 8 of that year, he found two diamonds.
John Huddleston
According to Millar, Huddleston discovered the Arkansas diamonds
while he was spreading rock salt on his hog farm. He saw some shiny
specks in the dirt that he thought might be gold. But instead of gold,
he found two stones.
Huddleston declined an offer from the local bank cashier, who said
he would pay Huddleston 50 cents for the stones. Eventually, the stones
were sent to a gem expert in New York City and it was determined that
the stones were indeed Arkansas diamonds. One was a 3-carat white diamond and the other was a 1.5-carat yellow diamond.
Word soon got out about the diamonds and "Diamond John"
Huddleston became famous. Thousands of people flocked to the little town
of Murfreesboro, sparking a boomtown atmosphere. In one year, over
10,000 people were turned away from the Conway Hotel in Murfreesboro.
Soon after his find, Huddleston sold his farm for $36,000 and this
portion of the crater was closed to the public.
"Crater of Diamonds" is Born
Uncle Sam Diamond rough cut
M. M. Mauney owned another portion of the diamond mine, and
he originated the idea of letting visitors pay to hunt for diamonds.
Some diamond mining operations also began in the years after the
discovery, but for many reasons, shrouded in mystery, lawsuits, fines,
bankruptcy and other reasons, they were unsuccessful. Then, in 1952,
Millar opened a tourist operation at the mine. He dubbed the site, the
"Crater of Diamonds."
Millar promoted the site aggressively and received lots of national
publicity. A museum, gift shop and restaurant were built and Millar, who
was a geologist, gave lectures about the diamonds and also identified
the visitors' finds. He received a 20 percent royalty on the value of
any stone over 5 carats.
During those years, thousands of diamonds were found. The
most famous find was made in 1956 by Mrs. A. L. Parker of Dallas. Millar
wrote that Parker found the diamond after heavy rains had fallen on the
freshly plowed field. The white diamond was 15.33 carats. It fueled
"diamond fever" here again as the crater was "almost overrun with
diamond hunters," Millar wrote.
In 1969, the crater was sold to a mining company and in 1972 the
state of Arkansas purchased it. The site was developed into an 888-acre
park nestled in a mixed pine and hardwood forest along the banks of the
Little Missouri River. There is a visitor's center, gift shop, picnic
area, restaurant, a 1.3-mile trail and 60 campsites with water and
electricity.
Great Finds from the Famous Crater
Strawn-Wagner Diamond
Although thousands of people have dug and sifted through the volcanic
"kimberlite" soil, there are still plenty of diamonds waiting to be
discovered. Since the park opened in 1972, more than 19,000 diamonds have been found, many of which are of gemstone quality. Park officials say about two diamonds are found
by visitors to the park each day. "Most of them are about the size of a
match head or smaller, and people usually keep them for souvenirs."
Not all of the finds have been small. The largest documented diamond
find is the 40.23-carat "Uncle Sam" diamond, which was discovered in
1924. The largest diamond found since the Crater of Diamonds became a state park was the 16.37-carat "Amarillo Starlight," discovered in 1975.
Uncle Sam Diamond final cut
Other notable finds include the "Star of Murfreesboro," which
weighed 34.25 carats; the "Star of Arkansas," which was 15.33 carats and
the 8.82-carat "Star of Shreveport." The 4.25-carat "Kahn Canary" diamond was found
here in 1977 and was worn by Hillary Clinton during the presidential
inaugural balls as well as two gubernatorial inaugurations. The
3.03-carat "Strawn-Wagner Diamond," found in 1990 was cut to a
1.09-carat gem graded D-flawless 0/0/0 (the highest grade a diamond can
achieve) by the American Gem Society.
Geologists believe these diamonds were formed millions of years ago
and shot to the earth's surface during a violent volcanic eruption. The
portion of the crater that is known to be diamond bearing is about 35
acres and is the eroded surface of an ancient volcanic pipe. Test
drilling at the crater has shown that the reserve is shaped like a
martini glass; it is believed to be the eighth largest diamond reserve
in the world.
