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Diamond Digging at the Arkansas Crater of Diamonds

5/1/2017

13 Comments

 
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While I've spent the last 17 years of my life in the beautiful state of Michigan, I was raised in the equally stunning state of Arkansas, which has more than one claim to fame. It is not only the quartz crystal capital of the world, but home to the Crater of Diamonds State Park. And I got the opportunity to partake in both those wonders recently when I returned there to visit family. And, for a while at least, I got to pretend I was striking it rich!

It was just as glorious as I remember as a child.

Now, don't get me wrong. The Crater of Diamonds is literally a crater.... of dirt.... almost 38 acres of dirt, situated above a (now thankfully quiet) volcano. But, within those piles of pebbles, more than 30 diamonds were discovered by patrons in the month of April alone, and more than 75,000 since the park began! Okay, not everyone scored it with a 7.44 carat diamond like Kalel Langford found this March (after only 30 minutes of dirt-digging, I might add), but it's about the process, right?

For $10, you get to spend a day digging in some dirt, and if that doesn't bring you back to childhood, I don't know what will. While we searched for a place to settle, with our spades and sifters, we meet a couple who'd been digging in the same spot for three days straight. We read signs about the biggest park diamond finds, some requiring holes as deep as 9 feet! Though we were definitely neither that prepared, nor that dedicated, we were happy with our two square feet of dirt.

For about 45 minutes.

Okay, so apparently I lack the patience of my youth. My 7 year old niece was starting to fidget and the dirt was no longer cutting it. The sun was beating down and my entire body began to bloom a beautiful (but deadly) shade of red. So, off we went on our two-hour drive home.

But not without scoring some quartz!

I may not have helped my niece find a diamond, but I can definitely buy a box of dirt and bury some tumbled semi-precious stones and diamond-cut quartz so she can still experience the wonder of discovery. And, if nothing else, I still remember the yellow diamond I found at the crater in my youth.

Which I then dropped in the dirt, because.... bees. Sigh.

But it's about the process! And family. And friends. And 45 blissfully sunburned minutes in nature.

I have to say it was an excellent trip.
13 Comments
Daune
5/1/2017 03:28:25 am

I have always wanted to go and my husband told me lat week that we will go to celebrate our 10 year anniversary, and my birthday this year. We are going in September so it might be a little cooler. I am So very excited. :-)

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Vicki Marshall
5/1/2017 02:21:25 pm

Thank u for sharing

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Maria La Cavera
5/2/2017 12:56:09 am

It was a blast! I went with my best friend for her birthday on April 5th and 6th, 2017. We went tent camping at their state park campground too which we totally enjoyed. None of us found any diamonds, but we had fun and were finally able to mark this off of our bucket list!

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Terri
5/2/2017 08:32:57 am

Would love to go! I was in the mining industry for many yrs. Open surface mining. Know how to use a sieve! 😊
Rather go when it's not sweltering hot.
Thanks for sharing.

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Sandra Hyett
5/2/2017 09:51:13 am

I sure wish I had known you were in the area. We live in Mt. Ida, the 'Crystal Capital of the World' and my brother sells crystals. I am definitely a fan of yours, having at least 20 of your tutorials. I do try to use crystals as often as possible in some of the cabachon tutorials. I love your work. Please keep it up. If you need a link to crystals, let me know.

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Terri
5/2/2017 10:51:18 am

I'd like to have a link to crystals.

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Sandra Hyett
5/3/2017 10:52:49 pm

For crystals, try arcrystalmine.com.

Wendy
5/2/2017 04:45:40 pm

This place is on my bucket list!! I am soo jealous!! Would have been nice to score a diamond to have a wonderful time with family is priceless.

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song link
5/2/2017 06:43:09 pm

Would love to go!
Thank for sharing!

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Belanne Pibal
5/7/2017 12:25:16 am

Well drat! my husband had a break between job the last two weeks, and I wanted to go there but he was too stressed out to go on a vacation so we stayed home. We might have met. lol.

What a great thing to do as a seven year old - digging in the dirt for diamonds. Way to go Auntie!

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John link
6/22/2017 02:33:29 am

Love you, thank you for your blog

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Stacie
7/6/2017 12:54:01 am

I had been wanting to go for years. I finally made it last summer. I had so much fun, but it was also pretty hot. I didn't find anything, bummer. I did meet a woman who showed me Amethyst that she had found. She managed to hit a pocket of them and hauled off with 25lbs on a previous visit. She showed me one of the rough stones and also another she had faceted. I really enjoyed it and plan to go again now that i know what to expect. Just an FYI for anyone thinking of going. There are only about 3 motels in the area and maybe a B&B or two. I however, found http://www.diamondjohns.com/ The owners were awesome and they have cabins and teepees (not your average teepee either. These things have queen beds in them!) They loan tools and buckets to take to the park. I can't say enough about these folks and the property sits on the Little Missouri River!

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Connie C.
7/7/2017 02:10:37 am

Hi Nicole,

As a National Park Ranger in the 90s, I worked at Mammoth Cave National Park in KY. I did "digs" in the caves, and while it IS a bit back-breaking, finding ANYTHING is incredibly exciting. My most important "find" was Paleo Poop !! Lots of that, alas, in the Caves :-P Hey, it was fun ! Sounds like you have the right idea -- put some crystals in a "square" of dirt, and let the young ones make a "find!"

Even if it wasn't what you remembered, it was still AN ADVENTURE .. something we all need in our lives, I firmly believe :-D

PEACE ...

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  • Home
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