Colorado Grandma Finds 2.63-Carat Diamond In State Park In Arkansas

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (KFSM) - A 71-year-old grandmother from Colorado found a 2.63-carat ice white diamond earlier this month at Arkansas's Crater of Diamonds State Park.

According to the woman, who wants to stay anonymous, she was searching for about 10 minutes with her husband, son, grandson, and granddaughter when she made the find.

"I was using a rock to scrape the dirt but don't know if I uncovered the diamond with it or not. It was just lying on the surface!"

She says her family continued searching for another hour before having their rocks and minerals identified at the park's Diamond Discovery Center, where the staff revealed to her what she found.

"I didn't know what to think. I was shocked!"

Park Interpreter Waymon Cox said, "About one out of every five diamonds registered by park visitors is found right on top of the ground, including many of the largest ever found at the Crater of Diamonds."

According to Cox, "Like other rocks and minerals, no two diamonds are exactly alike. This white diamond is about the size of a pinto bean and is shaped somewhat like a fingernail. Several brownish, freckle-like marks along the surface give the gem a unique, one-of-a-kind appearance."

Crater of Diamonds State Park is located on Arkansas Highway 301 in Murfreesboro. More than 33,100 diamonds have been found by park visitors since the Crater of Diamonds became an Arkansas state park in 1972.

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