Boost in 2011 Crater diamond finds forecast a successful year
By Waymon Cox
Happy Independence Day from Crater of Diamonds State Park! With 2011 halfway gone, the Crater has already had many great diamond finds. As of July 1, 322 diamonds have been registered at the park.
Of all the diamonds found in the first half of 2011, an impressive 18 weigh more than one carat, including the 8.66 ct. white Illusion Diamond, found in late April. Only 23 diamonds had this distinction in all of 2010! This year, the total weight of diamonds found January through June equals nearly 88 carats, while only 299 diamonds, weighing about 65 carats, were found during the first half of 2010.
Visitors from 30 states outside of Arkansas found diamonds during the first half of 2011. In June alone, travelers from Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas found and registered diamonds at the park. So far, the top three homes for out-of-state Crater diamond finders are Michigan (16 people have registered 28 diamonds), Texas (17 people have registered 24 diamonds), and Missouri (seven people have registered 14 diamonds).
Crater of Diamonds State Park continues to serve as an exciting destination for vacationers from all over. If we have as many successful diamond mining ventures during the second half of 2011, we will certainly have many more thrilling diamond finds to share and should have no trouble surpassing the 601 diamonds discovered last year!
Search area last plowed: June 9, 2011
Most recent significant precipitation: June 6, 2011
Diamond finds for June 26 - July 2, 2011 (100 points = one carat):
No diamonds found June 26.
June 27 - Jim Graham, Prescott, AR, 89 pt. white; Kenneth Shoemaker, Murfreesboro, AR, 7 pt. white
June 28 - David Anderson, Murfreesboro, AR, 9 pt. brown, 24 pt. white, 28 pt. white; Kenneth Shoemaker, Murfreesboro, AR, 36 pt. brown
June 29 - Thomas Houser, Murfreesboro, AR, 13 pt. brown; Xander Owsley, Memphis, TN, 12 pt. brown, Bryce Lessett, Memphis, TN, 11 pt. white
June 30 - Evan Goodwin, Chesterfield, MO, 63 pt. white; Meta Whitlock, North, SC, 1 pt. brown
No diamonds found July 1.
July 2 - Cynthia Harrell, Farmerville, LA, 1.18 ct. white; Solomon Baughman, Wesley, AR, 15 pt. yellow