One of the questions often asked by our visitors is “Where else in the world are diamonds mined?”  The answer is that 15 countries have mines.  Africa has the most countries with mines: Angola, Botswana, Congo, Lesotho, Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, with a total number of 25 active mines or mining areas.  In Asia, 3 countries have mines: Borneo, India, and Russia, for a total of 7 mines.  Australia has one active mine. South Africa and Russia are tied for the largest number of active mines with 5 mines apiece. In North America only Canada has 2 commercial mines, with none in the United States.  Up until 2002, Colorado/Wyoming had a commercial diamond mine on their border, the Kelsey Lake Mine, but it closed due to bankruptcy from having only 20,000 carats of annual production.  South America at one time had diamond mines in Brazil, but those played out in the 1800’s.  And finally, Europe has never had diamond mines, only diamond consumers. 

In terms of production, Botswana leads the world (2008 figures) with an estimated annual production of 25 million carats of gem-quality diamonds.  Russia is next with 23,300,000 carats of gem-quality diamonds and Canada has production of 18 million.  Russia only began its diamond production in the 1950’s, but it now has the world’s deepest open pit diamond mine (2,000 feet).  Botswana has the world’s richest mine, Jwaneng Diamond Mine, an open pit operation located in the south central part of the country.  In 2003 it produced 14.3 million carats of rough diamonds and it has reserves that are estimated to continue at that production rate for 27 years.  The Argyle Mine in western Australia is the largest raw diamond producer in the world, with peak production in 1994 or 42.8 million carats, but only 5% of its diamonds are gem quality.  The U.S. has the highest consumption of diamonds, buying about $19 billion or 35% of the world’s production.

At the Crater of Diamonds State Park we are the only diamond mine in the world open to the public.  Since the State Park opened to the public in 1972 the highest production year was 1994, with 1,421 registered diamonds. The largest number of diamonds over one carat in a year was 2007, with 44 gems.  When you compare these numbers to the ones above, they are a tiny fraction of the worldwide diamond production.  However, here at the park we believe that our production of fun per carat has to be the highest in the world.

Search area last plowed:  June 18, 2009, Total diamonds so far in 2009 - 740

Diamond finds for August 17th to August 23th (100 pts. = 1 carat):

August 17 - Denis Tyrrell, Murfreesboro, AR, 5 pt. white, 8 pt. white; Mike Wells, Chippewa Falls, WI, 70 pt. brown

August 18 and 19 - No diamonds registered

August 20 - Billy Moore, Murfreesboro, AR, 3 pt. white, 7 pt. white, 18 pt. white; Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Lachance, Venice, FL, 73 pt. white

August 21 - Billy Moore, Murfreesboro, AR, 3 pt. white, 87 pt. brown; Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Lachance, Venice, FL, 4 pt. yellow, 57 pt. white

August 22 - Anne Stanley, Stuttgart, AR, 74 pt. white; Diana Hawk, Wimberley, TX, 3 pt. white

August 23  - Rickey Keeton, Delight, AR, 2 pt. white, 6 pt. white, 7 pt. brown