MURFREESBORO, Ark. — A couple from Minnesota stopped at the Crater of Diamonds State Park while on their 10th-anniversary road trip where they found a nearly 2-carat brown diamond.
Jessica and Seth Erickson from Chatfield, Minn. found the diamond on the morning they visited America's only public diamond mine after an hour of wet sifting, Arkansas State Parks said in a statement announcing the find.
"They spent the morning digging dirt and by 11 a.m. were wet sifting at the North Washing Pavilion in the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area," the state park said.
"Although most diamonds are found after flipping gravel onto a flat surface, Seth first spotted a metallic-looking gem in the bottom of his screen after an hour of wet sifting. He knew right away it was a diamond and excitedly showed Jessica."
The Ericksons named their diamond HIMO, the four initials of each of their children. The light brown diamond weighed in at exactly 1.90 carats and "about the size of a pony bead."
Park Interpreter Tayler Markham says, “Two screens are used to wet sift. The top screen has a bigger mesh size, one-quarter of an inch, while the bottom screen is smaller, about 1/16 of an inch. Guests submerge screen sets in water to wash away the soil. Once the soil is removed, the gravel is then separated by size and weight to make diamonds easier to find.”
According to park staff, about three-fourths of all diamonds registered at the Crater of Diamonds are found by wet sifting.
The park said as of Nov. 10, there have been 581 diamonds registered at Crater of Diamonds State Park in 2022. An average of one to two diamonds are found by park visitors each day.
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