Arkansas Man Discovers Nearly 5-Carat Diamond at State Park

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Jerry Evans finds gemstone at Crater of Diamonds, largest since 2020

Jerry Evans, a visitor to Crater of Diamonds State Park, recently made an extraordinary discovery during his first visit to the park. What he initially thought was a piece of glass turned out to be a nearly 5-carat diamond.

Accompanied by his girlfriend, Evans stumbled upon the diamond just 10 minutes after arriving at the park. The clear, pyramid-shaped find caught his eye, but he initially hesitated, uncertain if it was indeed a diamond. After returning home to Lepanto, Arkansas, Evans decided to seek assistance from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to identify the object.

Several weeks later, the GIA confirmed that Evans had found a near-colorless diamond, much to his delight. Upon receiving the news, Evans reached out to the park authorities, and his discovery was registered as the largest diamond found at the park since 2020.

A man from the #US state of #Arkansas named Jerry Evans stumbled upon the largest #diamond found at Crater of Diamonds State Park in three yearshttps://t.co/NCePoXtSoY pic.twitter.com/VhfeU25vky

— News18.com (@news18dotcom) December 22, 2023

Waymon Cox, assistant park superintendent at Crater of Diamonds State Park, expressed his surprise at Evans’ proactive approach, stating, “While I get many emails from people wanting me to identify something they’ve found here, to my recollection, this is the first time someone has contacted me after they’ve had a diamond identified by the GIA.”

Crater of Diamonds State Park, known for its unique status as the only diamond-producing site open to the public, has seen numerous discoveries over the years. In 2023 alone, 798 diamonds totaling more than 125 carats have been registered at the park. The park’s rich history dates back to the early 1900s, with over 75,000 diamonds unearthed in the area.