David Anderson and the “Big, Ugly Diamond”.Photo: The State Parks of Arkansas Facebook
A man from Arkansas recently found a massive 3.29-carat brown diamond at a state park.
David Anderson, a resident of Murfreesboro, found the diamond while wet-sifting soil in Crater of Diamonds State Park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area, the park said in astatement.
“At first I thought it was quartz but wondered why it was so shiny,” he said in the release. “Once I picked it up, I realized it was a diamond!”
The park said Anderson’s discovery is the largest diamond found at the park this year and thelargest gem since September 2021.
Anderson has been a regular visitor to the park for the past 16 years, the park said. In that time,he’s discovered more than 400 diamonds, including 15 that weigh over one carat.
He previously found a 3.83-carat yellow diamond in December 2011 and a 6.19-carat white diamond in April 2014, the park said.
According to Tayler Markham, a park interpreter, the diamond is the size of an English pea, with an octahedron shape and a partially resorbed surface.
The Big, Ugly Diamond.The State Parks of Arkansas Facebook
“Mr. Anderson’s diamond is about the size of an English pea, with a light brown color and octahedron shape,” Markham said in the press release. “It has a metallic shine typical of all diamonds found at the park, with a partially resorbed surface and lots of inclusions.”
Although diamonds come in various colors, the most common colors found at the park are white, brown, and yellow, in that order, per the park’s website.
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More than 120 diamonds have been reported at Crater of Diamonds State Park this year. Visitors to the park can typically expect to find one to two diamonds per day.
Anderson first learned about the park in 2007 while watchingThe Travel Channel. His first visit proved fruitful, as he found his first diamond, a 1.5-carat white diamond, which he says hooked him on diamond hunting.
“Congratulations, David on another amazing discovery!” the park wrote on Facebook.
source: people.com
