Treasure found: Man finds 9-carat rock at Crater of Diamonds State Park

MURFREESBORO, Ark. — A diamond hunter who always wanted to find treasure has finally struck gold — make that diamond.

Kevin Kinard went to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, on Labor Day and ended up with a nearly record-setting find, KATV reported.

He said he and some friends went to the park and after wet sifting for about 10 minutes, he started walking plowed rows, picking up anything that could be a crystal.

“It kind of looked interesting and shiny, so I put it in my bag and kept searching. I just thought it might’ve been glass,” Kinard told KTHV.

But it wasn’t just a piece of glass. The marble-sized chunk turned out to be a diamond and it wasn’t just any diamond. The rock weighed 9.07 carats and is the second-largest found at the park since 1972, park officials said.

Luckily, officials had plowed the 37.5-acre search area about two weeks before Kinard’s visit, then Tropical Storm Laura passed through, bringing a couple of inches of rain, KATV reported.

“The sun was out when Mr. Kinard visited, and he walked just the right path to notice the sunlight reflecting off his diamond,” park Assistant Superintendent Dru Edmonds told KATV.

The largest diamond found at Crater of Diamonds State Park weighed a whopping 16.37-carats and named Amarillo Starlight, KTHV reported.

So far this year, 246 diamonds, weighing a total of 59.25 carats, have been registered as being found at the park, KATV reported.

Cox Media Group