PIKE COUNTY, Arkansas (WKRC) – A man and his son have found the second largest diamond in a state park this year.
According to Arkansas State Parks, Will Barnett and his son Marshall were on a road trip as part of “boys’ week” in late July when they visited Crater of Diamonds State Park and made the find of a lifetime: the second largest diamond recorded in the park that year.
The duo visited the park on July 27 with shovels and buckets to “try their luck” and find a real diamond in the park’s 37.5-acre diamond prospecting area.
The site is a ploughed field on the eroded surface of an ancient volcano.
Barnett and his son filled a few buckets with soil and went to the park’s laundry pavilion to sift the dirt.
“Wet sifting is one of the most effective ways to search for diamonds,” said park interpreter Ashlyn Keys. “The search area has two wash pavilions with water troughs and tables where visitors can wet sift. By using sifters to separate dirt from gravel, you can sift through more material in less time, giving you a better chance of finding a diamond.”
Eventually, Will called his son over after spotting a promising glimmer at the bottom of his screen. The Barnetts took the gem to the Diamond Discovery Center in the park, and there, staff confirmed that it was indeed a large diamond.
“While I was examining the diamond, I looked out the office window and asked Mrs. Keys who the finders were. Then I said, ‘Wait, let me guess: They’re the ones shaking with excitement!'” said park ranger Caleb Howard.
According to authorities, the gemstone is a rectangular two-carat diamond about the size of a pencil eraser and has a light brown color reminiscent of “iced tea.”
Visitors often give names to the diamonds they find in the park, and the Barnetts decided to name their gem “Minor Find” because Barnett often refers to his son as a “minor miner.”
The Minor Find was the 412th diamond recorded in the park this year and the 36,500th diamond recorded since the crater was declared an Arkansas State Park in 1972.
Park visitors find an average of one to two diamonds per day.
