8.5-carat diamond found: Where else can amateurs score precious gems?
Arkansas's Diamonds State Park is the only known diamond mine in the United States, but emeralds, sapphires, and rubies have been uncovered at other gem-hunting destinations.
Bobbie Oskarson holds the 8.52-carat diamond she found at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park at Murfreesboro on June 24. Park officials said Friday that the gem found by Ms. Oskarson of Longmont, Colo., is the fifth largest diamond found since the park was established in 1972. The park does not provide an estimate of the diamond's potential value.
Crater of Diamonds State Park/AP
An out-of-state tourist has found an 8.52-carat diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.
Bobbie Oskarson of Longmont, Colo., found the gem Wednesday in the southwest corner of the Pig Pen, the park鈥檚 37.5-acre search field named for its muddy terrain, CNN . The diamond 鈥� about three-quarters of an inch in length and as big around as a No. 2 pencil 鈥� is the fifth largest found since the park was established in 1972, park interpreter Waymon Cox told the Associated Press.
The park鈥檚 biggest gem, the , is 16.37 carats and was discovered 1975.
Ms. Oskarson named her find the Esperanza Diamond, after her niece, and plans to keep the gem, according to CNN. The park, which boasts that it is where the public can search for diamonds, adheres to a 鈥渇inders-keepers鈥� policy.
It isn鈥檛, however, the only place in the United States where enterprising amateurs can hunt for precious stones.
Hiddenite, N.C., is host to the 70-acre , the only emerald site in the US open to the public for prospecting. Open year-round, the mine gives visitors a taste of the lush scenery of North Carolina鈥檚 Brushy Mountains and the chance to hunt for emeralds as well as garnets, topaz, sapphires, and other gems.
While in the Tar Heel State, treasure hunters should also swing by the in Franklin, and in Spruce Pine. The first is home to collector-grade rubies as well as sapphires, while the latter is a hunting ground for aquamarines.
The , just an hour away from Richmond, Va., is the place for enthusiasts with an interest in amazonite, a bright turquoise stone. The mine, which has its own exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., produces 80 different minerals and is open to miners of all skill levels, including beginners, according to the .
Heading to the West Coast? Hunt for opals at the in Virgin Valley, Nev. or quality amethysts in .
Montana has its own Gem Mountain as well, found about 20 miles outside the town of Philipsburg. The site is known for its sapphires and stones, which visitors can dig for with the help of local staff: 鈥淲e dig up the dirt for you, wash it, concentrate it, and bring it to the store by the dump truck load,鈥� reads. 聽聽
Those who can鈥檛 make the journey can find and order the gems online.