A grandfather from Tennessee made a remarkable discovery at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas when he found a 2.29-carat yellow diamond.
The grandfather, Barry G. Smith, was visiting the park with his two granddaughters, Sage and Juniper, and had rented a wagon and basic kit to search for diamonds. After about 30 minutes of searching, Smith spotted something glimmering in the East Drain section of the park, but initially thought it was mica, a common mineral. He placed the gem in his shirt pocket and didn't think much of the find until it was inspected at the park's Diamond Discovery Center.
Park officials were surprised by the discovery, with facility supervisor Ralph Hall saying he was "dumbfounded" when he first saw the diamond. The diamond is notable for its rarity, as yellow diamonds are the rarest variety found in the park, with the majority of visitors discovering brown or white stones instead.
Smith chose to name the gem the Sage Juniper Diamond, after his granddaughters. Park officials described the diamond as about the size of a black-eyed pea, noting that it was the third-largest diamond found at the park this year. An estimated value for the diamond was not released, as park employees are not trained to grade or appraise diamonds or other rocks and minerals.
The discovery is the latest in a series of notable finds at the park in recent months. Several other diamonds have been discovered at the park, including a 3.09-carat diamond found by a Pennsylvania woman just days after burying her father and months after losing her son.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
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