Crater of Diamonds Newsletter

Last Wednesday was a special day for Crater of Diamonds State Park, during which one of the “Crater’s own” had a homecoming, as Rhonda Bankston brought her cut and mounted Dream Angel diamond for a visit.

All of what came to be on March 18 actually started a few weeks before, with quite a strange day. One February afternoon I was speaking with a visitor about diamonds, and he asked me what a general appraisal might be for a genuine Crater diamond. I explained that we don’t appraise diamonds in the park, due to the difficulty of placing value on a rough stone and our lack of training in the area. I told him some visitors choose to have their diamonds appraised when they return home, and mentioned Ms. Bankston, who found a 2.09 carat white gem during the previous November. She had had a keen interest in having her diamond appraised, but at that point we had yet to hear any news of its value.

It was by chance that later that same day, I received a call from one of Ms.Bankston’s friends, Dareen Ray, who told me the Dream Angel had in fact been cut, mounted, and appraised!

Schumacher Diamond Cutters, of Bismarck, North Dakota, cut the Dream Angel into a cushion brilliant shape weighing 1.04 carats. The diamond was then sent to Carlsbad, California, to the Gemological Institute of America. There it was graded as a D/VVS2, a “colorless” gem with two very, very slight inclusions along the outer edge.

Serving as Ms. Bankston’s agent in handling the diamond was Jack Hood, a jeweler in Baton Rouge. After the diamond returned to Louisiana, Mr. Hood mounted the cut gem in a beautiful, 14k white gold cathedral setting atop a yellow gold band. He stated that considering the diamond’s unique source of origin and high quality, the Dream Angel could be worth as much as $22,000!

Needless to say I was pleased to hear how the story of the Dream Angel had continued even after it left the Crater, but I was especially excited to hear that Ms. Bankston would be returning to the Crater in mid-March with her Dream Angel!
The weeks that passed between February and March 18 seemed to go by like a flash. We decided to take advantage of this historic homecoming by holding a press meeting. I worked with our public information officer in planning the day and consistently contacted Ms. Bankston to solidify details of what would happen during her visit.

As the week of the 18^th arrived, I contacted our local newspapers and radio stations to invite them to the meeting and worked with our park staff to set up chairs, a projector screen, and a podium in our camper registration center. Ms. Ray’s brother had produced a video detailing the Dream Angel’s short history and how the story of its discovery had spread world-wide, and I knew that showing it at the meeting would be a great way to illustrate what can happen when someone finds a diamond at the Crater.

Ms. Bankston and Ms. Ray arrived early on the morning of March 18. Ms. Bankston posed for photos with her beautiful ring, and both women answered questions from local journalists about the Dream Angel’s story. Others in attendance included Murfreesboro Mayor Jim O’Neal, Chamber of Commerce Board President Debbie Shukers, and Crater “regular” Glenn Worthington.

The Dream Angel video provided plenty of stunning visuals as the diamond was examined under magnification in rough and cut forms, and Ms. Bankston and Ms. Ray offered commentary on the diamond’s discovery and how it was cut. Attendees were surprised to see a segment of Ms. Bankston’s appearance on the television show 18 Kids and Counting, as well as news articles about the Dream Angel from Canada and Russia!

The meeting served as a great reminder of what a beautiful and wonderful resource we have right here in Southwest Arkansas. The Dream Angel’s excellent grade and potential value help prove the superior attributes of Crater diamonds. In the future, the unique story of this diamond will be used as a valuable interpretive opportunity for park visitors to learn how something as small as a diamond can change lives so much!

March 17 - David Anderson, Kent, MI, 28 pt. brown; Glenn Worthington, Springdale, AR, 4 pt. white, 4 pt. white, 6 pt. white

March 18 - Glenn Worthington, Springdale, AR, 2 pt. white, 5 pt. white, 5 pt. white, 6 pt. white, 7 pt. yellow, 12 pt. white; Nancy Emison, Gurdon, AR, 35 pt. white; Ben Kankey & Shana Porting, Lakeview, AR, 8 pt. yellow; Clark Norris, Rockwall, TX, 16 pt. brown; Nancy Killian, Kaukauna, WI, 2 pt. yellow; Ben Kankey & Shana Porting, Lakeview, AR, 5 pt. white

March 19 - Denis Tyrrell, Bismarck, AR, 2 pt. brown, 3 pt. yellow, 3 pt. white; Billy Moore, Alma, AR, 32 pt. white; Lisa Perry, Overland Park, KS, 12 pt. white

March 20 - Denis Tyrrell, Bismarck, AR, 26 pt. yellow; Jessie Mabry, Garland, TX, 4 pt. yellow; Amy Tullos, Garland, TX, 2 pt. white; Katherine Holmes, Doddsville, MS, 15 pt. white; Tommy Ross, Tonkawa, OK, 31 pt. brown; Paige Edwards, Shreveport, LA, 66 pt. white

March 21 - Billy Moore, Alma, AR, 26 pt. white; Claud Dill, Murfreesboro, AR, 4 pt. white, 4 pt. white, 4 pt. white, 6 pt. white, 6 pt. white, 8 pt. white, 31 pt. brown, 39 pt. yellow; David Anderson, Kent City, MI, 13 pt. brown; Kyle Cunningham, Broken Arrow, OK, 8 pt. white; Chris & Lisa Perry, Overland Park, KS, 2 pt. white, 5 pt. white; Denis Tyrrell, Bismarck, AR, 1 pt. white

March 22 - Christine Pagel, St. Robert, MO, 7 pt. yellow; Louis Cunningham, Tulsa, OK, 12 pt. white; Todd Miller, Tulsa, OK, 11 pt. white; Denis Tyrrell, Bismarck, AR, 15 pt. white; Tommy Forrester, Bigelow, AR, 3 pt. white; Dimitri Fergadis, Hot Springs, AR, 13 pt. brown; Debbie Hampton, Rockdale, TX, 79 pt. yellow; Claud Dill, Murfreesboro, AR, 64 pt. white