CRATER OF DIAMONDS 2007 FINDS!

LARGE DIAMONDS FOUND AT THE CRATER IN THE SUMMER OF 2007

On June 5, 2007, 13-year-old Nicole Ruhter of Butler, Missouri was searching for diamonds with her family while camping at Crater of Diamonds State Park. She saw something shiny on the surface of the diamond search area, next to a well-worn path that she was walking along. It turned out to be a tea-colored, 2.93-carat diamond! Miss Ruhter later named her special find "The Pathfinder Diamond".

An even larger diamond was found on June 9. Milton Milam of Shreveport, Louisiana was digging in the mines West Drain area when he unearthed a 4.80-carat white diamond. Mr. Milam had found diamonds at the park in the past, but this was his largest.
Another sizeable diamond was found by Chuck Scanlon of Des Moines, Iowa . He was surface searching when he discovered a 2.14-carat brown diamond on June 29.

Some other large diamonds found during the summer months were a 1.18-carat white; a 1.08-carat white; a 1.12-carat brown; a 1.34-carat brown; a 1.31-carat white; a 1.27-carat white; a 1.40-carat white; a 1.71-carat white; a 1.00-carat white; a 1.10-carat white; a 1.31-carat white; and a 1.37-carat white.

Crater of Diamonds State Park [craterofdiamonds@arkansas.com]

Diggin' For Diamonds!

Do you love diamonds? Would you like to find some? With a little hard work and some luck, you can find some in Arkansas!

One of my very favorite treasure hunting places is The Crater of Diamonds State Park. The Park is the only diamond producing site in the world that is open to the public.

Park visitors pay a nominal fee to prospect in the park's diamond search area, a 37-acre plowed field that is located smack on top of the eroded surface of an ancient volcanic pipe. 95 million years ago, the pipe brought diamonds and semi-precious stones up to the surface and you can still find them there today!

Diamonds of all colors of the rainbow can be found at Crater of Diamonds, but the three most common colors unearthed by park visitors are white, brown and yellow.

The Arkansas Diamond Mine is also a rock hound's delight since, along with diamonds, over 40 types of rocks and minerals can found there. 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 the property at that time, found the first diamonds on what is now the Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, and the news of his find started a 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.

On my recent visit, I spent two and a half days searching for diamonds. I was told by the staff that the best way to find diamonds was to surface search. Basically, you walk around with your rake, shovel, hand claw or stick and look for a very bright, shiny, glint or reflection that's catching the sunlight.

I searched like a wild woman and didn't come up with pay dirt on that trip, but I'm headed back soon! If you've been there, I'd like to hear about your trip! Please email me with the details! treasureholic@gmail.com

WATCH the Today Show Video (Link below - it's GREAT!) that highlights a recent significant find that an Oklahoma State Trooper made at the park and you'll have diamond fever just like I do!

Happy Hunting!

http://www.arkansas.com/special-announcements/second_diamond.asp

4.21-carat, Canary Yellow Diamond Found at Arkansas's Crater of Diamonds State Park by First Time Visitor From Oklahoma - Today Show Video