Arkansan finds 2.13-carat brown diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park

 

  Glenn Worthington, of Springdale, Arkansas, has mined Crater of Diamonds State Park for more than 30 years, yielding hundreds of diamond finds.  Though most have weighed under a carat, his dedication has also paid off with a few larger gems.  On Thursday, February 18, Worthington registered his biggest find yet, a 2.13-carat brown gem he named the Brown Rice Diamond.

 

  Worthington found his diamond while wet screening in the park’s Pig Pen, a low-lying section at the south end of the diamond search area.  The crystal has the elongated shape of a rice grain but is much larger.  It has a frosted surface and is the light brown color of iced tea.

  The Brown Rice is the largest of 37 diamonds found so far in 2010 and is Worthington’s second large diamond find in a year.  Last April, he registered a 2.04-carat yellow diamond named the Easter Sunrise.  Worthington has also written a book about the history of Crater of Diamonds State Park and produced a DVD that teaches others how to find diamonds. He says he plans to have the Brown Rice Diamond cut, and then sell it.

 

  Crater of Diamonds State Park is the world’s only mine where the public can search for diamonds and keep any they find.  On average, two diamonds are found each day at the park.  The three most common colors of diamonds found are white, brown and yellow.

  According to park records, 918 diamonds were registered in 2009, including five weighing over two carats each.  The largest brown diamond found last year was a 2.93-carat gem found on October 20 by Royce Walker of Lockesburg, Arkansas.

  Crater of Diamonds State Park is open seven days a week, closing only on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.  Park interpreters regularly demonstrate diamond mining techniques and offer other special interest programs for visitors.  For more information, contact the park at 870-285-3113 or by e-mail at CraterofDiamonds@arkansas.com.  Or visit www.CraterofDiamondsStatePark.com.