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Kevin Kinard, a Maumelle bank manager, found the second largest diamond in Crater of Diamonds State Park history on Labor Day, according to a press release from the Arkansas Parks Department.
Kinard He said he and his friends brought filter equipment to the state park in Murfreesboro. Kinard He noted that he has been visiting the Crater of Diamonds regularly since he was a child, but had not found a diamond until September 7.
“I only sneaked in for about 10 minutes before I started walking through the ruts,” he said. “Anything that looked like glass I would pick up and put it in my bag.”
While reviewing the southeast portion of the 15-hectare (37.5-acre) diamond search area, Kinard he picked up a rounded glass the size of a marble.
“It looked interesting and bright, so I put it in my bag and kept looking,” he recounted. Kinard. “I thought it could be glass.”
Several hours later, he and his friends went to the park’s Diamond Discovery Center, where site workers identify visitor discoveries and record the diamonds.
“I almost did not ask them to review my discoveries, because I did not think I had found anything,” he said. Kinard. “My friends turned in theirs for review, so I did too.”
It was then that an employee informed Kinard that he had discovered a diamond, 9.07 carats.
“Honestly, tears came to my eyes when they told me,” he said.
Assistant Superintendent Dru Edmonds said conditions were ideal for Kinard find the diamond.
“Park workers plowed the search area on August 20, a few days before Tropical Storm Laura dumped more than two inches of rain into the park,” he said. “The sun had risen when the lord Kinard visited and he walked down the path just to notice the sunlight reflected off his diamond. “
As of Wednesday, 246 gems have been recorded in the Crater of Diamonds this year, with a total weight of 59.25 carats. On average, people find one or two diamonds a day in the park.
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