14 DAY TRIAL // A man from Kentucky has come across a rare 2.95-carat brown and champagne-colored diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, and it is all his.
"Mr. Staggs' diamond appears to be a complete crystal and is shaped like a shield. It's about the size of an English Pea and has a golden brown metallic appearance," Park Interpreter Waymon Cox tells THV11.
Terry Staggs comes to the park twice a year, a tradition he has observed for the past 28 years. He has found several rocks before, but this is the most significant. Staggs found the rock on July 4 and he is naming it the "Patriot" diamond.
"The diamond looks similar in shape to the 4.21-carat yellow Okie Dokie Diamond, which was discovered by Oklahoma State Trooper Marvin Culver at the Crater of Diamonds in 2006," Cox describes.
He adds that brown diamonds are rare and the hardest to find in the park, because of their color.
"Because of their color, brown diamonds are often difficult to find in the dark dirt of the diamond search area. However, sunny weather conditions on July 4th were perfect for this sparkler to catch Mr. Staggs' attention as he searched," he says.
The visitor was able to make it out because it was lying on the surface, on top of gravel while scouring the East Drain section of the park.
"Mr. Staggs' gem was found in gravel on the surface of the East Drain area. Sunlight reflecting off the diamond made it stand out from the other stones," Cox informs.
This find marks the 304th diamond located by visitors in the park this year alone. Over 75,000 diamonds were unearthed here since 1906, when the farmer who owned the land came across his first one.
"Many factors help visitors who like to surface search for diamonds at the park. Park personnel regularly plow the diamond search area to help with natural erosion," Cox explains.