Romantic rock hounding at the Crater

By Waymon Cox

  Greeting from Crater of Diamonds State Park!  With Valentine’s Day near, this is the time of year when many of us are looking for “That Perfect Way” to express how we feel about loved ones.  Flowers, chocolate, and jewelry may fit the bill for most of us, and some may even choose a romantic destination for this special day.  In fact, a growing number of couples are choosing the Crater as a romantic destination!

  Hundreds of people each year visit the Crater to celebrate a new marriage or an anniversary, and dozens have chosen the Crater as a symbol of love as they propose marriage in this ancient volcanic pipe!  Many of these proposals include rings containing Crater diamonds, and a few lucky couples have even found these genuine gems while mining on their honeymoons!

  A few years ago, I had the fortune of identifying a diamond found by newlyweds visiting the Crater.  It was a muddy day, and the two had spent the morning sloshing around in the field in what almost became a fruitless search.  Before leaving the search area, they visited the equipment wash-off pavilion to clean their shoes and supplies before heading to the parking lot.

  Often, we tell visitors not to spend a lot of time breaking up rocks or mud clods, as diamonds are slick and will rarely be inside these materials.  However, as a final attempt at mining, this couple washed the mud from their shoes into their screens.  Amazingly, this extra effort paid off for, as the couple brought me a shiny, clean crystal they had found after the mud washed away!

  After I identified the diamond, the happy couple carried the stone up to the visitor center, as this was before the days of the Diamond Discovery Center.  The diamond had a beautiful shape and brown hue, and weighed about a half carat.  Needless to say, husband and wife were both ecstatic to have made such a great find on their honeymoon!

  Stories such as this are collected from visitors and passed on each year to illustrate part of what makes this park so special.  Come experience your own unique adventure this month with your romantic rock hound!

Diamond Finds for February 3 - 7, 2009

February 3 - Billy Moore, Alma, AR, 9 pt. white, 20 pt. white

February 7 - Denis Tyrrell, Bismarck, AR, 18 pt. yellow