Kevin Kinard of Maumelle visited Crater of Diamonds State Park on Labor Day and found the second-largest diamond in the park’s history, according to a news release.
While searching in the southeast portion of the diamond search area, Kinard, a 33-year-old bank branch manager, picked up a marble-sized crystal that had a rounded, dimpled shape, the release states.
A park employee identified Kinard’s rocks and minerals but sat his rounded, dimpled find aside to carry into the office for closer examination. After a few minutes, park managers brought Kinard into the office and revealed that he had discovered a diamond weighing more than nine carats, according to the release.
“Congratulations to Mr. Kinard on finding this impressive diamond — the second largest found at the park since 1972,” Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, said in the release.
Weighing 9.07 carats, Kinard’s diamond is the second-largest found at the park since the Crater of Diamonds became an Arkansas state park in 1972. According to the release, the only larger diamond found during that time was a 16.37-carat white Amarillo Starlight, discovered in August 1975.