Second Largest Diamond Found This Year at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park

💎Second-largest diamond of the year is found

💎Two ways to search for diamonds

💎How many diamonds have been found this year?

Somebody recently found a big diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. 

The Second Largest Diamond Found in 2024

It all took place on Friday, September 27, when a visitor came to the Crater of Diamonds State Park. They found a 2.30-carat white diamond in the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area. This marks the third diamond over two carats found this year and the second-largest registered in 2024.

2 Methods to Use When Searching For Diamonds

The guest, who has decided to remain anonymous, arrived at the park and started wet sifting. Wet sifting is where the dirt collected is washed from diamond-bearing gravel through a screen in water. After a few hours of no luck, the guest started surface searching. “If I find a diamond today, it will probably be right here on the surface,” they said.

According to a press release, many of the park’s biggest diamonds are found on the surface.

Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox said,

We periodically plow the search area to loosen the diamond-bearing soil and promote natural erosion.  As rain falls, it washes away the dirt and uncovers heavy rocks, minerals, and diamonds near the surface.

While walking near the covered North Wash pavilion, the guest spotted something shiny on the ground. They thought it might be trash or a bug but it was too shiny to ignore.

It was a shining stone. They took it to the Diamond Discovery Center to see if they could inspect it and sure enough it was a big white diamond over 2 carats.

The diamond has a round, pitted surface. The diamond looks brown, but with a closer look, they found some tiny imperfections that affect the way light passes through it.  The center of the diamond looks dark brown, but the outside is a clear white.

How Many Diamonds Have Been Found This Year?

White diamonds are the closest to pure carbon crystals, while brown diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds are colored by structural defects called plastic deformation. Almost all natural diamonds have inclusions or blemishes that impact their appearance.

So far in 2024, park visitors have registered 548 diamonds, totaling over 82 carats. On average, one to two diamonds are found each day.

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