2022 was a year of celebration, discoveries at Crater of Diamonds
MURFREESBORO — Last year was a special one for Crater of Diamonds State Park. Not only did the park celebrate its 50th anniversary, but more diamonds were registered in 2022 than the previous two years combined.
A total of 758 diamonds were registered by visitors from 35 states and one U.S. territory, weighing over 117 carats. Visitors from Arkansas registered 383 diamonds, while visitors from outside of the state registered 375 diamonds.
Seventeen diamonds over one carat were found, including two weighing over two carats. Thirty-four diamonds were found on the surface last year, about 4% of all diamonds registered. Most diamonds were uncovered by methods like dry sifting and wet sifting, which tend to be more productive but require specific techniques.
The year started off strong, with 180 diamonds registered by the end of March. Ninety-one diamonds were registered in February alone, making it the most successful month of the year. While February is usually one of the
coldest winter months at the park, last February was unusually warm, with an average high of almost 60 degrees.
This, along with increased visitation, likely contributed to more diamond finds.
In April the Crater of Diamonds celebrated its 50th anniversary as an Arkansas State Park with a two-day event featuring guest speakers, a special exhibition of Crater diamonds, and the unveiling of a new display commemorating the Esperanza Diamond. The second-largest diamond of the year was also found in April by Adam Hardin, a Murfreesboro resident. Hardin named the 2.38-carat brown gem “Frankenstone,” due to its shiny but pitted appearance.
During the first six months of the year, seven lucky visitors from four states and one U.S. territory had found a total of eight diamonds weighing over 1 carat each. Two more 1-carat-plus diamonds were found in July, bringing the large diamond count for the year to 11. By the end of summer, the diamond count was up to 480 — more diamonds than were found in all of 2021.
In September, the park celebrated the 35,000th diamond registered since the Crater of Diamonds opened as a state park in 1972. Scott Kreykes, of Dierks, registered the milestone gem, his 50th diamond of the year, on Sept. 6.
On Sept. 23, Jessica and Seth Erickson, of Chatfield, Minnesota, visited the park as part of their 10th-anniversary road trip and celebrated with an exciting discovery. After about an hour of wet sifting, the couple spotted the third-largest find of the year, a 1.9-carat brown diamond they named HIMO, after their children’s initials.
From October to December, 211 more diamonds were found, including six weighing over 1 carat. On Nov. 16, a Texas couple found the largest diamond of the year, a 2.85-carat brown, after about 30 minutes of surface searching. The large metallic diamond was about the size of a jelly bean.
Of all diamonds found last year, 509 were white, 141 brown, and 108 yellow. February held the record for the most diamonds, 91, as well as most brown diamonds, 22. Most white diamonds were found in April, 66, and October and November tied for the most yellow diamonds, 17.
Visit http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com or http://www. Arkansasstateparks.com for more information.