How to Hunt for Diamonds

Diamond Macro 1

There is only one place in the world that the general public is allowed to search for diamonds in the rough. Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, is a tourist attraction that allows visitors to search the park for diamonds for a small fee. Visitors can rent all of the necessary equipment on-site, or they are welcome to use their own.

Things You'll Need

• Weather-appropriate clothing Sunscreen Wooden box screen Medium-size plastic bucket Folding army shovel Magnifying glass

Instructions

1. Plan a trip to Crater of Diamonds State Park. Find out ahead of time when the park is open and when you can get inside to hunt for diamonds.

2. Schedule a tutorial on diamond hunting with the park so you can learn how to hunt diamonds and what to look for. The more you know, the easier it will be to go out on your diamond hunt.

3. Dress appropriately, taking the weather into consideration before you set out on a diamond hunt. If the weather has been wet and rainy, wear old shoes or boots as the fields will be muddy.

4. Pack all of the diamond hunting equipment you will need, or consider renting equipment from the park itself. You will need a shovel, a bucket, a box screen and a magnifying glass.

5. Walk through an area of the park and keep your eyes out for small objects shining in the sunlight. Surface searching might be easier after a rainstorm as mud will not cling to diamonds, and they will stand out.

6. Choose an area and sit down with your screen to carefully examine the earth through your screen. This method is known to produce more, but smaller, stones because of the careful scrutiny involved.

7. Fill your bucket with dirt, and then carry it to a sifting pavilion. Run water through the mud, sift and shake the contents inside your screen. Carefully examine the leftover contents for diamonds.

Tips & Warnings

• Learn what unfinished diamonds look like beforehand, as they will look nothing like the polished gems you find in engagement rings and diamond bracelets. Don't forget sunblock and a hat in the spring and summer. Mud and dirt will not stick to diamonds, so an ideal time to go hunting is on a sunny day after rain showers.

References

• Rockhounding Arkansas
• WikiHow
• Crater of Diamonds State Park