Visitors found a 3.36-carat diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.
Scott and Jennifer Freitas of New Port Richey, FL, made the lucky find on July 1. It’s the second-largest diamond found at the park this year.
The Freitas are enthusiastic miners of rubies, sapphires and smoky quartz who went to Crater of Diamonds State Park as a bucket-list destination. Jennifer Freitas holds a degree in geology.
The park reported on its website:
Once finding a spot to dig, the Freitas dug a few buckets, only digging about 6-8 inches deep.
The couple chose to wet sift, a method that many guests use to search for diamonds. Guests submerge screen sets in water to wash away the soil. Once the soil is removed, the gravel is then separated by size and weight to make diamonds easier to find. Many large diamonds seen in the news are found by surface searching, but only about 10% of diamonds are found that way. Most diamonds found at the park are found by wet sifting.
On only the third bucket, Scott Freitas “pulled his screen out of the water and noticed a gorgeous glimmering stone staring back up at him,” according to the park.
Park staff identified the stone as a white diamond. It’s described as “crystal clear in the center with off-white edges, about the size of a blueberry.”
“I was stunned when I saw the pictures of the diamond,” said park Superintendent Caleb Howell. “The shape, clarity, color and size made it a beautifully natural gemstone. It was a great reminder of the awesomeness of Crater of Diamonds State Park.”
The Freitas name their find the “Dash Diamond,” after their dog.
So far this year, 332 diamonds have been registered at Crater of Diamonds State Park.
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