241. Glenn Worthington finds 2.04 carat Yellow Diamond; Easter Sunrise Diamond
Crater of Diamonds State Park; Murfreesboro, Arkansas
Glenn Worthington of Springdale has visited Arkansas’s diamond site, the Crater of Diamonds State Park, many times over the past 30 years. His time spent prospecting in the park’s 37 ½-acre diamond search area has been rewarded many times with diamond finds. However, all of his diamonds except for one have weighed under a carat. Yesterday afternoon Worthington discovered the largest of all his diamond finds, a stunning 2.04-carat canary diamond he named the Easter Sunrise Diamond.
Worthington was washing gravel that he’d dug out of the park’s east drain, a low area in the park’s diamond search area, when he found the yellow diamond in his screen. It was in the last bucket he planned to wash before shutting down for the Easter weekend. The diamond has a smooth, lustrous surface with no cracks or internal spots of graphite. It is an elongated, complete crystal that would yield itself well to a marquise cut, but Glenn and his wife Cindy do not plan to cut or sell this special diamond. They are going to keep their diamond and enjoy it in its natural form. Worthington dubbed his bright yellow stone the Easter Sunrise Diamond because that is what he thought of when he saw it glowing up at him from his screen full of gravel.
Worthington noted that he has produced a DVD that teaches others how to find diamonds in Arkansas and has written a book about the history of the Crater of Diamonds, but this large a diamond find has eluded him for decades. His said that his fellow diamond mining enthusiasts have all congratulated him on yesterday’s find. Margi Jenks, one of the park geological interpreters on staff at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, noted, "It is Glenn’s persistence and passion for the Crater of Diamonds State Park that finally paid off with this beautiful gem."
According to Park Superintendent Tom Stolarz, "The gem’s canary color is a bright yellow, very remindful of the yellow on an American Goldfinch." Crater of Diamonds State Park is the world’s only diamond-producing site open to the public. Diamonds come in all colors of the rainbow. The three most common colors found at the park are white, brown and yellow, in that order.
Stolarz said that canary diamonds are often found at the park and are included in the list of the Crater of Diamond’s notable diamond finds. Because of the brightness of their yellow color, canary diamonds are sometimes referred to as lemon or lemon drop stones. Stolarz continued, "Here at the Crater of Diamonds, canary diamonds are among the most sought after stones by our park visitors."
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