9.07-carat diamond found at Arkansas park

by Samantha Ashenhurst | September 28, 2020 3:47 pm

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When it comes to diamond-hunting, sometimes all you need is a sharp eye.

This was the case for Kevin Kindard. The Maumelle, Ark., banker recently stumbled upon a 9.07-carat diamond at Arkansas’s Crater of Diamonds State Park.

Kindard was diamond-hunting with friends on Labour Day when he made the discovery. The group had brought along equipment to wet sift, but Kindard opted to surface-search instead.

“I only wet sifted for about 10 minutes before I started walking up and down the plowed rows,” he says. “Anything that looked like a crystal, I picked it up and put it in my bag.”

Kindard found the marble-sized diamond, which he initially thought was a piece of glass, in the southeast portion of the diamond search area.

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The rounded, dimpled stone is reportedly the second-largest diamond recovered from the site since it became a state park in 1972.

“Congratulations to Mr. Kinard on finding this impressive diamond,” says Stacy Hurst, the secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism. “A find like this is always thrilling for the park guest, as well as the park staff, who get to help identify the gem and share in the excitement.”

“This find is a testament to maintaining the diamond search area with a focus on sustaining the resource at Crater of Diamonds State Park, as well as creating the opportunity to find a diamond and make lifetime memories for all of our guests,” adds Arkansas State Parks’ director, Grady Spann.

One or two diamonds are found by visitors daily, Crater of Diamonds State Park says. Thus far, 246 diamonds have been registered with the site office this year, weighing a total of 59.25 carats.

The largest diamond ever found at the park is the 16.37-carat white Amarillo Starlight, which was discovered in August 1975.

Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/news/9-07-carat-diamond-found-at-arkansas-park/

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