Travis Christner and his wife, of Richmond, Mich, digging away on his second visit to Crater of Diamonds in the State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas found a diamond over one quarter carat in size and recently and Chad Johnson almost threw away one of the biggest diamonds ever found there. “I just caught it in the corner of my eye before I was about to toss it in the rock pile,” Johnson said.

Johnson works the graveyard shift at the local convenience store so he can spend the day hunting for diamonds. Estimates are that his 4.3-carat diamond is likely to be worth more than $20,000.

According to the Crate of Diamonds State Park website:

“Arkansas, The Natural State, is blessed with an abundance of geological wonders. The Crater of Diamonds State Park, the only diamond-producing site in the world open to the public, stands out as a unique geological “gem” for you to explore and enjoy.
Here, you are invited to prospect in the park’s diamond search area, a 37-acre plowed field that is the eroded surface of an ancient volcanic pipe that 95 million years ago, brought to the surface the diamonds and some of the semi-precious stones lucky visitors find here today.
Diamonds of all colors of the rainbow can be found here at Crater of Diamonds, but the three most common colors unearthed by park visitors are white, brown and yellow. This Arkansas Diamond Mine is a rockhound’s delight since, along with diamonds, over 40 types of rocks and minerals can found here, too. These rocks and minerals include lamproite, amethyst, banded agate, jasper, peridot, garnet, quartz, calcite, barite and hematite.’

“In 1906, John Huddleston, the local farmer who owned this property then, found the first diamonds here in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, and started the diamond mining rush. According to the history of the Crater of Diamonds State Park, after a series of ill-fated mining ventures followed by tourist attractions, the site became an Arkansas state park in 1972.
“ââ?¬Â¦You are invited to visit this one-of-a-kind attraction and experience the thrill of searching for real diamonds in the rough. Our park staff will identify your finds for you. And, the policy here is “finders keepers.” Any diamonds, semi-precious stones, rocks or minerals you unearth are yours to keep, regardless of their value.”

An average of two diamonds are found daily by people who spend $6.50 admission for the day. More than 700 Diamonds having been found at Crater of Diamonds Park since it opened.

You can visit the site here, http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/ . There certainly are free diamonds at Arkansas State Park!

This entry was posted on Friday, November 9th, 2007 at 9:57 am.