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Albuquerque man finds 2.28-carat white diamond at Arkansas state park
By Sue Vorenberg (Contact)
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
A shiny, metallic-looking object has turned out to be treasure for an Albuquerque man.
Bill Trythall found a 2.28-carat white diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas while vacationing with his two brothers.
Fewer than 10 diamonds weighing more than 2 carats are discovered each year in the area, making it an unusual find, said Tim Stolarz, park superintendent.
"This is a fairly large diamond," Stolarz said. "To find something in this size range is a very special experience."
Visitors to the park in Murfreesboro in the southwestern part of the state get to keep any diamonds they find, Stolarz said.
Trythall, who found the diamond Oct. 10, named the rock the "Trythall Senior Diamond," after his father, who died in March.
In a news release from the park, Trythall said the diamond "is shaped like the head of an eagle."
"There's an imperfection in the diamond that's located just where the eagle's eye would be if you looked at an eagle's profile," Trythall added.
He described the rock to Stolarz as being about the size of a fingernail, Stolarz said. A 1-carat stone is about the size of a pea, according to the park's Web site.
Stolarz said he didn't know whether Trythall planned to have the stone cut and made into jewelry.
The quality of the stone and ability of a gem cutter to cleave the diamond would determine its worth, which is unknown right now, Stolarz said.
Trythall told Stolarz he saw the gem from far away, on top of one of the furrows made when park equipment plowed the field. He wasn't sure it was a diamond at first, but park officials confirmed the find, Stolarz said.
The rock is the 725th diamond found at the park this year and one of 29 that weighed more than 1 carat in the rough.
The largest gem found since the park opened in 1972 weighed 16.3 carats.
The largest gem ever found in the United States was found in the area in 1924. It was 40.23 carats, Stolarz said.
The park sits on the 100 million-year-old throat of a volcanic pipe, and the diamonds were formed when the site was volcanically active, Stolarz said.
kenb
By Sue Vorenberg (Contact)
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
A shiny, metallic-looking object has turned out to be treasure for an Albuquerque man.
Bill Trythall found a 2.28-carat white diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas while vacationing with his two brothers.
Fewer than 10 diamonds weighing more than 2 carats are discovered each year in the area, making it an unusual find, said Tim Stolarz, park superintendent.
"This is a fairly large diamond," Stolarz said. "To find something in this size range is a very special experience."
Visitors to the park in Murfreesboro in the southwestern part of the state get to keep any diamonds they find, Stolarz said.
Trythall, who found the diamond Oct. 10, named the rock the "Trythall Senior Diamond," after his father, who died in March.
In a news release from the park, Trythall said the diamond "is shaped like the head of an eagle."
"There's an imperfection in the diamond that's located just where the eagle's eye would be if you looked at an eagle's profile," Trythall added.
He described the rock to Stolarz as being about the size of a fingernail, Stolarz said. A 1-carat stone is about the size of a pea, according to the park's Web site.
Stolarz said he didn't know whether Trythall planned to have the stone cut and made into jewelry.
The quality of the stone and ability of a gem cutter to cleave the diamond would determine its worth, which is unknown right now, Stolarz said.
Trythall told Stolarz he saw the gem from far away, on top of one of the furrows made when park equipment plowed the field. He wasn't sure it was a diamond at first, but park officials confirmed the find, Stolarz said.
The rock is the 725th diamond found at the park this year and one of 29 that weighed more than 1 carat in the rough.
The largest gem found since the park opened in 1972 weighed 16.3 carats.
The largest gem ever found in the United States was found in the area in 1924. It was 40.23 carats, Stolarz said.
The park sits on the 100 million-year-old throat of a volcanic pipe, and the diamonds were formed when the site was volcanically active, Stolarz said.
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