A 33-year-old Maumelle, Arkansas man, who’s been visiting Crater of Diamonds State Park since a second-grade field trip, has found the second-largest diamond ever discovered there.
According to a report by KATV ABC 7, on Labor Day, Kevin Kinard and friends hauled sifting equipment to the state park located in Murfreesboro. Although he’s been visiting the park regularly since his initial visit decades before, Kinard said he had never found a diamond, until Sept. 7.
The Crater of Diamonds State Park website, describes the 911 acre state park as the only diamond-bearing site in the world that is open to the public. It features a 37.5-acre plowed field, “the eroded surface of a volcanic crater,” where visitors search for a “variety of rocks, minerals, and gemstones - and any rock or mineral you find is yours to keep.”
“I only wet sifted for about ten minutes before I started walking up and down the plowed rows,” Kinard said. “Anything that looked like a crystal, I picked it up and put it in my bag,” the KATV report quoted.
According to the report, during his search in the southeast portion of the diamond search area, Kinard found a “marble-sized crystal that had a rounded, dimpled shape,” park staff said.
“It kind of looked interesting and shiny, so I put it in my bag and kept searching,” Kinard said. “I just thought it might’ve been glass,” the report quoted.
The report said that following several hours of searching, when Kinard and his friends had their crystals checked by park staff, “an employee reportedly set the glass-like find aside for closer examination.” Minutes later, park managers revealed to Kinard that he had discovered a 9.07-carat diamond.
“I honestly teared up when they told me,” Kinard said. “I was in complete shock,” the report quoted.
Assistant Superintendent Dru Edmonds said that “perfect conditions” were a factor in Kinard finding his diamond.
“Park staff plowed the search area on August 20, just a few days before Tropical Storm Laura dropped more than two inches of rain in the park,” Edmonds said. “The sun was out when Mr. Kinard visited, and he walked just the right path to notice the sunlight reflecting off his diamond,” the report quoted.
Since the park was established in 1972, Kinard’s diamond is the second-largest found there. In August 1975, a 16.37-carat white Amarillo Starlight was discovered, the report said.
The report noted that park employees said finders often name their gems. Kinard chose to name his the ‘Kinard Friendship Diamond.’
“We love to travel together and had such a great time out here,” Kinard said. “It was a very humbling experience,” the report quoted.
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