A 14-year old girl from Oklahoma City found a 3.85-carat diamond at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park. Tana Clymer, the lucky girl, said she discovered the yellow-colored or Canary diamond after more than two hours of digging but unearthing nothing.
via Fox News
She gave up digging and just went looking around the park and after 10 minutes, she found the canary diamond right on the surface of the field. The Crater of Diamonds State Park is the only diamond-producing area that is open to the public and the 37.5 acre site search field of the park has given lucky visitors diamond finds over the years.
Clymer said she heard about the 12-year old boy, Michael Dettlaff of North Carolina who found a 5.16-carat diamond on the same park last July 31. She decided to try her luck too and convinced her family to visit Crater Diamonds State Park. Her efforts paid off, she immediately found a very beautiful tear-drop shaped 3.85-carat canary diamond on her first visit.
Around the size of a jelly bean, Tana’s diamond was assessed by Assistant Park Superintendent Bill Henderson and he said, “This canary diamond is very similar to the gem-quality, 4.21 carat canary diamond found at the Crater of Diamonds by Oklahoma State Trooper Marvin Culver of Nowata, Oklahoma, on March 12, 2006, a gem he named the Okie Dokie Diamond.”
Henderson said Tana named her diamond, God’s Jewel. She also told Henderson, “She’s either going to keep the diamond for a ring, or, if it’s worth a lot, she’ll want that for college.” Henderson revealed that there have been many diamonds found on the surface of the park because of the heavy rainfall which washes away dirt, uncovering diamonds buried beneath.
Tana Clyder’s gem is the 396th diamond found on the Park for this year. Crater of Diamonds State Park has a long history of giving its visitors precious gem finds. In addition to diamonds, this park also has garnets, agates, quartz, peridot, and amethyst.
The park practices a policy of “finders-keepers.” They also offer free identification and registration of found diamonds and other gems. Aside from educational lectures, the park employees also regularly plow the search field area to help visitors find fresh new diamonds. Heavy rains further unearth more precious stones.
This park has a rich history. Over 75,000 diamonds have been discovered on this area. John Huddleston, the original owner of the lot that is now Crater of Diamonds State Park, was the first to discover diamonds on the site in 1906. It was made a state park in 1972.
The largest diamond ever found in American soil was also unearthed at Crater of Diamonds. The Uncle Sam was a white/pinkish 40.23-carat diamond found in 1924 during early mining operations on Crater of Diamonds Park. After becoming a state park open to the public, the area kept on producing notable diamond finds by its visitors.
In 1975, a visitor from Texas found a 16.37-carat white diamond now named “Amarillo Starlight.” It is the still the largest diamond ever found by a visitor on the site. The second biggest diamond was found in 1981, the 8.82-carat white diamond. In 2011, a woman from Colorado found the third largest find, a 8.66-carat white diamond which she named as Illusion Diamond.
Tana Clymer’s diamond find should also inspire you. Why not try dropping by Crater of Diamonds State Park? It is near Murfreesboro on Arkansas Highway 301. Remember, they have a finder-keepers policy. You will own what you will find. You might just be the lucky one who will find a 2-million dollar diamond like the Kahn Canary diamond, which even uncut, is already considered Arkansas’ most valuable and priceless state symbol.
