Story at a glance
- A California woman recently discovered a 4.38-carat yellow diamond while visiting Crater of Diamonds State Park.
- It is the largest diamond uncovered at the park thus far in 2021.
- “Arkansas is the only state in the country that has a diamond mine open to the public,” said Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary Stacy Hurst.
A California woman recently discovered a 4.38-carat yellow diamond while visiting Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Ark., — the largest diamond found at the park this year.
Noreen Wredberg found the gem on a Sept. 23 trip with her husband, Michael Wredberg according to the state parks department. The couple ventured to the state park while on a separate retirement tour of U.S. national parks, which had taken them to Hot Springs.
“I first saw the park featured on a TV show several years ago,” she told the department. “When I realized we weren’t too far away, I knew we had to come.”
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“Arkansas is the only state in the country that has a diamond mine open to the public,” said Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary Stacy Hurst. “It’s such a unique experience and visitors make lifetime memories, whether or not they find a diamond. Of course, finding a diamond adds to the experience.”
After a brief search near the park’s entrance, Michael Wredberg suggested the two move further into the park where it was warmer. Noreen Wredberg spotted the diamond a short time after, and the couple gave it to park officials for examination.
“When I first saw this diamond under the microscope, I thought, ‘Wow, what a beautiful shape and color,’ Park Superintendent Caleb Howell said. “Mrs. Wredberg’s diamond weighs more than four carats and is about the size of a jellybean, with a pear shape and a lemonade yellow color.”
Noreen Wredberg’s diamond is the largest found at the park since October 2020 when a visitor discovered a 4.49-carat yellow diamond, the park said. Overall, visitors have located 248 diamonds at the park in 2021 at an average of two per day.
The most common colors of diamonds unearthed by park visitors are white, brown and yellow.
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Noreen told the park service she isn’t sure what she will do with the diamond she has named Lucy, as she’s yet unsure of the gem’s value.
“I don’t even know what it’s worth yet. It’s all new to me,” she said, concluding she may have it cut depending on the quality of the diamond.
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