A stunning find was made end of last year by a tourist in a US national park – the traveler found a large diamond and, what is most interesting, the local authorities allowed the traveler to take this expensive stone for herself. As noted by the newspaper The Independent, experts called the value of the found jewelry impressive.
Noreen Woodberg of California was hiking in Diamond Crater State Park in Arkansas on September 23rd when she noticed something sparkling and yellow in the ground that looked like a shard of glass. “I didn’t know it was a diamond at the time, but it was clean and shiny, so I picked up the stone,” she told the state park communications team. Woodberg showed the find to the park authorities, who confirmed that the shiny thing is nothing more than a flawless yellow diamond.
Park manager Caleb Howell described the 4.38-carat stone as “the size of a piece of marmalade, pear-shaped and lemonade yellow.” “When I first saw this diamond under a microscope, I thought:“ Wow, what a beautiful shape and color, ”the specialist explained.
The specimen found by the tourist is the largest found in the park since October last year. Then another traveler discovered a yellow stone weighing 4.49 carats. However, the record find made there is a 9.07-carat diamond found in September 2020.
The lucky owner of the precious stone said that together with her husband, they spend most of their time hiking in the National Parks of America. The decision to go to the “Crater of Diamonds” was spontaneous, since before that they had already visited Hot Springs National Park and were going to go home. “We really didn’t think we would find him, let alone something so big,” Woodberg told local media outlets.
The tourist turned out to be puzzled, because doesn’t know what to do with the gem. Perhaps it will be cut – it will depend on the quality. “I don’t even know yet how much my find is worth. All this is new to me! ” she added.
According to expert David Allen of Purely Diamonds, “A rough diamond weighing one carat can produce between 3.00 and 3.50 carats as a diamond. “A diamond of this size will cost from $ 20 to 30 thousand, depending on the intensity of the yellow color. The brighter and more intense the color, the more valuable it becomes to jewelers. Although yellow diamonds are more common than other unusual colors, they are rarer than white diamonds and are in high demand. This is a wonderful find, and Noreen is a very lucky person, her find is impressive, ”the expert concluded.
The appropriately named Diamond Crater State Park is a two-hour drive from Little Rock, Arkansas. About 50 gems are found in the park every year, but most of them are less valuable semi-precious stones such as quartz or garnet. Visitors to the park often find gems just lying on the surface of the earth. “We periodically plow the search area to loosen the soil and promote natural erosion,” said State Park translator Waymon Cox. “Diamonds are somewhat heavy for their size and do not have static electricity, so dirt does not stick to them. When the rain reveals a larger diamond and the sun comes out, its reflective surface is often easy to spot, ”he added.
Arkansas is the only state in the country to have a diamond mine open to the public, said Stacy Hirst of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. It is a true paradise for tourists and treasure seekers. “It’s such a unique experience and visitors leave memories of a lifetime, whether they find a diamond or not. Of course, finding a diamond adds to the experience, ”she said.
