Found Treasures: Strawn-Wagner Diamond and Other Diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park

Watch Found Treasures: Diamonds of the Craters of Diamonds on video or read below:

In 1990, a colorless, internally flawless diamond weighing over 3 carat was discovered at the Crater of Diamonds State Park by Shirley Strawn.  It has since been cut from the raw form to 1.09 carat, and is named the Strawn-Wagner Diamond. It’s on exhibit at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas, and is one of very few diamonds in the world of this quality.  The diamond is valued at around $50,000 and is extremely rare.

It’s beautiful.

What is so great about this found treasure is you have the opportunity to find something similar.

The Crater of Diamonds State Park features a 37 and a half acre field where the public is allowed to go and look for diamonds.  They have been found in this section of land since 1906.  The diamonds are found on the surface resulting from a volcanic eruption which happened millions of years ago pushing them there.

On the State Park’s website is a list of found Diamonds already this year.  They range from 1 point to almost 1 carat.  And, yes, it is rare to find large exceptional diamonds, but not impossible.  Although the park is open year round (except a few holidays), the Diamond Search Area is mostly only open on the weekends from the end of May to early September.

The largest ever found diamond in the USA was found at the Crater of Diamonds in 1924. This diamond has been named the Uncle Sam diamond and weighed in at 40.23 carats.  It was purchased by a private collector in 1971 for $150,000.

Other large diamonds have been found as well.  To mention only a few, The Star of Murfreesboro: 34.25 carats (1964), Amarillo Starlight: 16.37 carats (1975), and just in 2017 The Superman’s Diamond: 7.44 carats.  On average 600-800 diamonds of various sizes are found each year.

On any given day, another stunning treasure might be found.  As the only public diamond mine in the world, the Crater of Diamonds welcomes visitors from all over the country.  If a person finds a diamond, no matter the size, it is his to keep.

There are different methods to look for them.  Some visitors merely walk and search the surface for diamonds which might lay on top the ground.  After hard rains, this is considered a great way to find a diamond because the rain has washed soil from the top layers, revealing diamonds.

Another method is to screen for diamonds.  Visitors can rent screen kits at the park and use them to sift soil in the field, revealing any diamonds leftover in the screen.

No matter what method you use to find diamonds, they are often smooth and rounded in appearance and look like a polished stone.  They have an oily film and so dirt doesn’t often cover them.  Although not clear like glass, they are somewhat translucent enabling you to see into them part of the way.  Many of the diamonds found at the Crater of Diamonds are white, brown, or yellow.

What might you find?!

 

 

Best of luck with all that you seek!  Always Treasure the Adventure!