MURFREESBORO - Andrea Murphy, of Gentry, found a 2.10 carat brown diamond Friday while she and her family visited the Crater of Diamonds State Park to celebrate her birthday.
According to Park Interpreter Margi Jenks, Andrea and eight of her family members gathered together at the Crater of Diamonds to celebrate a milestone, Andrea’s 30th birthday. Her mother Karen came up with the idea to visit Arkansas’ diamond site and celebrate the occasion there since the diamond is Andrea’s birthstone.
Jenks said, “The square, iced-tea-brown diamond was a surface find after Andrea had been here for about two hours. At first Andrea thought her find was either a diamond, or some kind of toy. After the park staff verified and registered her diamond, Andrea decided that the best name for it would be the Andrea Birthday Diamond.
The diamond is the 144th diamond found this year by a park visitor, and it is the sixth diamond since Jan. 1 weighing over one carat. The colors of diamonds found at the park are white, brown and yellow, in that order.
Because of their dark color, brown diamonds are the most difficult to find. However, this is the second large brown diamond found at the park in the last two weeks. A beautiful 1.61-carat brown diamond was found by a park visitor from St. Louis, Mo., on March 28, said Jenks.
The Crater of Diamonds State Park is very much a family place. Multi-generational families, like Andrea’s, often enjoy the park together. The park staff is thrilled that this family get-together resulted in just what they’d hoped for, a diamond to celebrate Andrea’s birthday.
Jenks noted that the conditions were perfect at the park Friday for a diamond to be found on the surface of the diamond search area. The park received a number of washing rainstorms in March, and then Friday was a beautiful, sunny day. A good hard rain will wash dirt away that may be covering the diamonds. So, when diamonds are on the surface of the field, they sparkle, and can be easily seen.
The diamond was found in the East Drain area of the field, a 37-acre plowed field that is the eroded surface of the eighth largest diamond-bearing deposit in the world in surface area.
It is the world’s only diamond-producing site open to the public. On average, two diamonds are found each day at the park. The park’s policy is finder-keepers. What park visitors find is theirs to keep. The park staff provides free identification and registration of diamonds. Park interpretive programs and exhibits explain the site’s geology and history and offer tips on recognizing diamonds in the rough.
News, Pages 1 on 04/10/2013