This year two teens have made headlines after finding large diamonds at the Crater Diamond State Park in Arizona. It has a “finders keepers” policy that lets you keep whatever you find. But is it easy to find diamonds there?
This weekend 14-year-old Tana Clymer found a 3.85-carat canary diamond that could possibly be worth thousands, maybe tens of thousands. She was inspired by 12-year-old Michael Detlaff who found 5.16-carat diamond at the park this summer.
The location is an eroded ancient volcanic crater that is now a 37 1/2-acre plowed field. Their website states that ownership of this land has changed hands multiple times, and there have been several unsuccessful tries at commercial mining. “All such ventures are shrouded in mystery,” the website states. “Lawsuits, lack of money, and fires are among the reasons suspected for these failures. This site was operated privately, and later as a tourist attraction, from 1952 to 1972.”
The state park regularly plows the field to expose more potential diamond bearing soil, and sells and rents diamond mining tools for prospectors. Admissions is $7 for adults and $4 for children (6-12.)
It seems fairly common to find a very small diamond at the site, but rarely do people find diamonds large enough to cut, which is where the value lies. Most people find little diamonds to take home as keepsakes. The park recommends turning uncut diamonds into pendants.
Clymer feels that she was able to find a big one because of divine intervention. “I think God pointed me to it,” she’s said. “I was about to sprint to join my family, and God told me to slow down and look. Then I found the diamond.”
PHOTO: Crater Diamond State Park
