Arkansas man finds 4.87 carat diamond in Crater of Diamonds State Park, largest in 3 years

A 4.87 carat diamond, the largest to be found in nearly 3 years, was discovered at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro earlier this year, says the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.

Ten minutes after Jerry Evans of Lepanto entered Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro for the first time, he made the dazzling discovery without even knowing.

Earlier this year Evans visited the park, renowned for its diamonds as the name suggests, with his girlfriend. He picked up what he thought was a clear piece of glass from the top of a plowed ridge. Without giving it any extra thought, he put it in his pocket with other things that he had picked up during his visit.

“I thought it might be a piece of glass, it was so clear. I really didn’t know,” Evans said, in a news release. “We were picking up everything thinking it was a diamond."

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'Clear glass' identified as 4.87 carat diamond

However, Evans says that he kept thinking about the "clear glass" and wondering if could be something more. Eventually he sent the stone to the Gemological Institute of America for identification and a few weeks later he was told that the small item had been identified as near-colorless diamond.

“When they called and told me it was real, I was tickled to death!," Evan said.

The diamond, which the owner has named "Evans Diamond", is about the size of a jellybean and is shaped like a pyramid.

Largest find since 2020

Upon his son's encouragement, Evans reached out to the Crater of Diamonds State Park to tell them about his find.

“While I get many emails from people wanting me to identify something they’ve found here, to my recollection, this is the first time someone has contacted me after they’ve had a diamond identified by the GIA,” Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox said in the news release. “I’m glad that Mr. Evans was able to bring his historic diamond back to the park to have it officially registered.”

The state parks department said that Evans' discovery is the "largest find" registered at the park since a 9.07-carat brown diamond was discovered on Labor Day 2020.

“Mr. Evans’ diamond is spectacular to see," said Cox. "It’s a complete crystal with a brilliant white color reminiscent of many other large, white diamonds I’ve seen from here in the past."

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Crater of Diamonds State Park

About 798 diamonds, totaling more than 125 carats, have been registered at Crater of Diamonds State Park in 2023, said the state parks department, adding that an average of one to two diamonds are found by park visitors each day.

Over 75,000 diamonds have been unearthed at the Crater of Diamonds since John Huddleston, a farmer who owned the land long before it became a state park, discovered the precious gems.

Since the Crater of Diamonds became an Arkansas state park in 1972, more than 35,000 diamonds have been discovered, according to the park's website. It is also the only place in the world where the public can search for real diamonds in their original volcanic source.

The largest diamond - 40.23 carat Uncle Sam - ever discovered in the United States was unearthed in 1924 during an early mining operation on the land that later became the state park. Other notable diamonds discovered in the area include the 16.37-carat Amarillo Starlight, 15.33-carat Star of Arkansas and the 8.52-carat Esperanza..

Tips for finding a diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park

Crater of Diamonds State Park is one of the only places in the world where visitors can search for diamonds from an original volcanic source, according to the Crater of Diamonds State Park’s website.

The diamond search area consists of a 37.5 acre field. Any rocks, minerals, or gemstones a visitor finds are theirs to keep.

Visitors can also bring their own mining equipment or rent tools from the park. No battery powered or motor-driven mining tools are permitted, the website stated. 

Even though diamonds come in all shapes and colors, the three colors most commonly found at the park are: white, brown, and yellow. Park staff will assist in identifying all of the rocks, minerals, or gems found in the park. 

Here are some things to keep an eye out for as you search:

• Diamonds are usually clean crystals with a rounded surface and metallic shine 
• About half of all diamonds registered by park guests are found in sifted gravel taken home from the park. 
• Each guest may take up to five gallons of sifted gravel home per day to search for diamonds later.

Diamond search area admission is $13 for adults and $6.20 for children agred 6-12. An admission pass for the area costs $220. For more information, visit Crater of Diamonds State Park’s website.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.