Man makes massive rare find while walking in park and at first thinks it's glass

24 December 2023 , 20:37

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Jerry Evans, of Lepanto, visited Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro this spring, but only recently learned that he had discovered a 4.87-carat diamond (Image: Arkansas Gov)

One man got super lucky when he found a huge diamond while strolling in Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas.

He initially thought it was just a piece of glass he'd spotted on the ground. But when Jerry Evans picked it up, he realized he had something much more valuable.

He was with his girlfriend and had only been in the park for ten minutes when he saw something sparkling near a ploughed ridge. The man from Lepanto, Arkansas, pocketed the 4.87-carat diamond along with some other finds from the day.

Remembering the moment, he said: "I thought it might be a piece of glass. It was so clear. I really didn't know. We were picking up everything thinking it was a diamond."

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Man makes massive rare find while walking in park and at first thinks it's glass

A man got luck enough to find this diamond on the ground of a national park (Arkansas Gov)

But he couldn't stop thinking about the 'glass' he had found. His curiosity got the better of him and he sent the stone to the Gemological Institute of America for identification.

To Mr Evans' surprise, it was identified as a diamond. He exclaimed: "When they called and told me it was real, I was tickled to death!" After reading about a find in the park in the 1990s, Mr Evans' son encouraged him to contact the park about his finds. Any diamond found at the park can be kept by the finder.

Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox said: "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. I'm glad that Mr. Evans was able to bring his historic diamond back to the park to have it officially registered."

There's a national park where your wildest treasure-hunting dreams to come true, in Arkansas (Arkansas Gov)

The latest discovery at the park is the biggest since Kevin Kinard of Maumelle found a 9.07-carat brown diamond on Labor Day 2020. Mr Evans' diamond is about the size of a jellybean and shaped like a pyramid.

"Mr. Evans' diamond is spectacular to see. It's a complete crystal with a brilliant white colour reminiscent of many other large, white diamonds I've seen from here in the past," said Mr Cox. Mr Evans named his find the Evans Diamond.

Nearly 800 diamonds have been registered as finds at the park throughout 2023. On average, one to two diamonds are discovered by park visitors each day.

The US' largest diamond in history was found in the same park where Mr. Evans found this diamond (Arkansas Gov)

Diamonds were first discovered by a farmer named John Huddleston, who owned the land before it became a state park. The largest diamond ever found in the US was unearthed in 1924 on the site.

In total, over 75,000 diamonds have been dug up at the Crater of Diamonds since then. Evans has some advice for anyone thinking about visiting the park: "Come and search, because there's a chance. They're out there!"

Situated on Arkansas Highway 301, this park is one of the few spots globally where you can hunt for real diamonds in their original volcanic source.

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