Crater Of Diamonds Park: Colorado Woman Finds 8.52 Carat Diamond At State Park


A Colorado woman found an 8.52-carat diamond at the Crater of Diamonds Park in Arkansas.

On Wednesday, June 24, after only 20 minutes of digging, Bobbie Oskarson, of Longmont, Colorado, unearthed one of the largest diamonds ever uncovered at the park since it was established in 1972. According to the state’s park agency, Oskarson’s discovery marks the fifth largest diamond ever found by a visitor, Time reports.

“Ms. Oskarson and her boyfriend Travis Dillon saw the Crater of Diamonds State Park on an Arkansas highway map while in the nearby town of Hot Springs and decided to visit the park. And what a lucky first visit it was for her!” Waymon Cox, an employee at the Crater of Diamonds Park, said in a statement.

“It was hot and sunny at the park, but Ms. Oskarson was staying cool by searching in a tree-shaded area when she found her diamond.”

As the Inquisitr previously reported, Oskarson originally thought she had found a quartz crystal while she was digging in an area of the park known as Pig Pen, but upon further inspection by that park’s employees, they determined that she had found something much more unique and valuable.

“Ms. Oskarson’s eight-and-a-half-carat diamond is absolutely stunning, sparkling with a metallic shine, and appears to be an unbroken, capsule-shaped crystal. It features smooth, curved facets, a characteristic shared by all unbroken diamonds from the Crater of Diamonds,” Cox’ statement continued. “Ms. Oskarson’s diamond is about three-quarters of an inch long and as big around as a standard No. 2 pencil.”

The Colorado woman has named her diamond the Esperanza Diamond, both her niece’s name and the Spanish word for “hope.” She says, for now, she plans on keeping her gem.

“Now Ms. Oskarson’s diamond is a very special part of the Crater of Diamonds State Park’s history, too,” Cox said.

[Photo via Shutterstock]

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