Texas ninth grader finds 1.99 carat yellow Stacy Diamond on Spring Break trip

By Margi Jenks

The Johnson family, from Garland, TX, a Dallas suburb, were looking for a close place to have a family adventure over their Spring Break holiday. Gasoline prices are high, and they didn’t want to travel far. Ms. Johnson got on the internet and found the Crater of Diamonds State Park. They drove up on Sunday, March 11^th and started searching, even though it rained almost 2 inches at the park that day. The family of four brought with them Ms Johnson’s godson, ninth grader Collin Flores, because his mom died three years ago and they often take him along on their vacation trips. 

Monday dawned sunny and beautiful, and the Johnsons returned to the park to search again through what was now a field of mud. Collin was surface searching on the southern part of mine field in the area of Canary Hill when he spotted something very shiny sitting right on the surface. It turned out to be a beautiful, light yellow, octahedral, 1.99 carat diamond. Collin decided to name his diamond in memory of his mother, Stacy Flores. 

The Canary Hill area of the mine field is named for a beautiful 17 carat canary yellow diamond that was found by an early searcher, and which is now displayed in the Smithsonian Museum. So, that part of the field has a history of producing yellow diamonds.

The Johnson family decision to come to the Crater of Diamonds State Park for their Spring Break adventure turned out to be the right decision. Now Collin has both great memories, and a beautiful souvenir.   Due to the recent heavy rains, which make it easier to find diamonds, it is likely that other Spring Break visitors may go home with similar diamond souvenirs.

Search area last plowed: February 28, 2012; Most recent heavy rain: March 11, 2012

Total diamonds found in 2012: 81

Diamonds registered for March 4-March 10, 2012 (100 points = 1 carat): 

March 4 - Bliss Ellis, Montgomery, AL, 47 pt. brown

March 9 - Karie Rutherford, Bethalto, IL, 8 pt. yellow

March 10  - Joe and Thomas Parker, Bullard, TX, 8 pt. white, 18 pt. brown; David Anderson, Murfreesboro, AR, 4 pt. yellow, 4 pt. yellow