37 diamonds found at the Crater in January

by Waymon Cox

 Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! January was a great start to the Crater’s 40^th year as an Arkansas State Park, with more than 1,600 people visiting and 37 diamonds certified during the month. Visitation rose nearly 60% over totals from last January, and four additional diamonds were registered.

 Arkansans registered 28 diamonds in January, while visitors from Michigan, Minnesota, California, Ontario, and Taiwan registered nine diamonds. The 22 white, eight brown, and seven yellow gems weighed a total of 3.14 carats!

 Mild winter temperatures so far this year may account for increased park visitation, while many days of heavy rain have left the search area eroded to help increase the number of diamonds found (We just plowed the search area last week!). Hopefully temperatures will remain comfortable so that more people may enjoy searching for diamonds this winter, as Crater of Diamonds State Park turns 40!

Search area last plowed: January 30, 2012

Most recent significant precipitation: February 4, 2012

Diamond finds for January 29 - February 4, 2012 (100 points = one carat):

No diamonds found January 29.

January 30 - David Anderson, Murfreesboro, AR, 18 pt. white, 25 pt. brown; Gerald Weitzel, Albert Lea, MN, 0.5 pt. white