A 4.87-carat diamond found by American man Jerry Evans in Diamond Crater State Park in Arkansas. /Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism website
An American man received a chance visit to Diamond Crater State Park in Arkansas. What he picked up, thinking it was a piece of glass, turned out to be a 4.87-carat diamond.
According to local media such as KTBS and Fox 10 on the 26th (local time), Jerry Evans, a resident of Lepanto, Arkansas, visited Diamond Crater State Park with his girlfriend this spring. This state park is the eroded surface of a volcanic crater, which produces gems such as amethyst and garnet as well as diamonds. Visitors can pay the entrance fee and take any gems they find after entering the park.
Within 10 minutes of entering the park, Evans discovered a small stone that appeared to be a piece of clear glass. He is said to have put the piece in his pocket along with other stones and returned home.
“I thought it was a piece of glass,” said Evans. “It was very transparent,” he recalled at the time, adding, “I had no idea it was a diamond.”
Jerry Evans holds the diamond he found in his hand./Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism Website
Reportedly, after returning home, Evans was obsessed with curiosity, wondering if it was something other than transparent glass.
In the end, he requested an analysis from the Gemological Institute of America to confirm the identity of the stone. A few weeks later, he received a reply confirming that the ‘piece of glass’ he had found was a diamond. “When I heard on the phone that it was a real diamond, I was so happy,” said Evans.
Evans later contacted the state park and officially registered the diamond he found there.
The park explained that among the diamonds found in the park since 2020, Evans’ discovery was the largest. 798 diamonds have been discovered and registered in this state park this year. The park said visitors here find an average of one or two diamonds a day.
One media outlet quoted New York-based diamond and jewelry retailer Litani as explaining, “The price of a 5-carat diamond varies depending on the cut method, clarity and color.” The company believed that, depending on these conditions, the value of the diamond could range from about $18,000 to $420,000 (about 23.3 to 543 million won).
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