# Diamond Prospecting In Arkansas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 4, 2002, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamond-prospecting-in-arkansas/130887 "2002-10-04T20:46:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamond-prospecting-in-arkansas/130887/1 "2002-10-04T20:46:02Z")
I understand that there is ONE diamond “pipe” in the USA, in a place called Craters of the Moon, in Arkansas. For a small fee, anybody can walk in and start digging away…what are the chances of finding a valuable diamond there? Do you have to dig TONS of dirt? And, supposing you find a \>3 karat rough diamond, how do you get it appraised and cut? Should I plan a week, or a few years? has anybody actually made money digging diamonds in Arkansas? By the way, I want to stop in to the Bill Clinton Presidential Library at little Rock-do they have any interesting exhibits (like maybe Monica Lewinsky’s dress)?😕 ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamond-prospecting-in-arkansas/130887/2 "2002-10-04T21:32:30Z")
Er, it’s actually Crater of Diamonds State Park, not Craters of the Moon. Info. [http://www.outdoors.net/arkansas/parks/crater.htm](http://www.outdoors.net/arkansas/parks/crater.htm) Yes, you can find diamonds. Yes, you can keep whatever you find. No, nobody has ever gotten really rich. The Visitor Center will weigh and certify any stones you find, but as for having it appraised and cut, you’ll have to consult a jeweler. Have a good time. 😃 What will be in the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library, when it’s built, will be papers. And books. And more papers. And more books. No semen-stained dresses, sorry. This is what it looked like as of September 27. [http://www.clintonpresidentialcenter.com/progress\_photos1.html](http://www.clintonpresidentialcenter.com/progress_photos1.html) Um, I don’t think it’s open yet, but I suppose you could stop by and shoot the breeze with the bulldozer driver… P.S. They’re still arguing about who’s going to pay for the land purchase. [http://www.austin360.com/aas/news/ap/ap\_story.html/National/AP.V8948.AP-Clinton-Library.html](http://www.austin360.com/aas/news/ap/ap_story.html/National/AP.V8948.AP-Clinton-Library.html) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamond-prospecting-in-arkansas/130887/3 "2002-10-04T22:04:02Z")
[kimberlites in Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio](http://www.geo.msu.edu/geo333/kimberlites.html) [Diamonds in Wisconsin](http://www.uwrf.edu/~wc01/Diamond.html) [Diamonds in Colorado/Wyoming](http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/amber/go340/students/laird/diamond3.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mephisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@Mephisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mephisto)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamond-prospecting-in-arkansas/130887/4 "2002-10-04T22:22:39Z")
I see on preview that a couple other people have already replied . . . I wrote while bouncing between baby-sitting, preparing for a concert, and doing my homework, so this became one of those hour-long posts. Please excuse any redundancies with the other posts. Anyhow . . . I live in Arkansas and know people who have visited Murfreesboro, which is where your diamonds are. It’s not called Craters of the Moon, though. A while back there was a news story about somebody who found a very valuable gemstone there, so it happens. However, it is my understanding that nearly all the diamonds found by tourists are small and of very little value. Looking for information that might serve you better than the second-hand accounts of my in-laws, I found [this](http://family.go.com/travel/places/feature/famf99bargaincrater/famf99bargaincrater.html) site, which says: > [@](#): > > At Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, Arkansas (56 miles southwest of Hot Springs), families can camp out for $13.50 a night and search for twinkling treasures at the world’s only finders-keepers diamond field. > > More than 70,000 diamonds have been discovered here since a hog farmer plucked the first gem from the dirt in 1906 (last year, a visitor found a 7.28-carat diamond in the field). Admission to the search area is $4.50 for adults and $2 for children ages six to 12. To reserve a campsite at the park, call 870-285-3113 or visit their Web site. I don’t know about the Clinton stuff in Little Rock. I have driven around the city though and I think the streets are kind of screwy in places, so if your sense of direction sucks as bad as mine you might want to give yourself some extra time. I’m not sure what kind of stuff you’re into, but my favorite thing about Arkansas is some of the great natural beauty that can be found here. If you’re at all into outdoorsie type activities, I highly recommend you check out some of our parks. Have fun, **Ralph**. And remember, we serve soda. “Pop” is some damn Yankee thing (j/k). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamond-prospecting-in-arkansas/130887/5 "2002-10-04T22:46:07Z")
[The Arkansas State Flag](http://www.worldflagco.com/stateflag_arkansas.htm). You’ll notice the prominence of the diamond shape. Draw your own conclusions. Actually, there’s no need to draw your own conclusions. The web site above states that Arkansas is the USA’s only diamond-producing state. ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamond-prospecting-in-arkansas/130887/6 "2002-10-04T23:56:21Z")
Strictly speaking, the diamond deposit is a lamproite and not a kimberlite. And although some may pitch in that Arkansas is not the only state wherein diamonds are found, it is, IIRC, the only state where they have been mined commercialy. What’s really great about Arkansas aren’t the diamonds. If you’re in the Little Rock - Magnet Cove Area, I’d recommend the carbonatite and many other funky rocks and minerals: [http://rockhoundingar.com/locations/magcove.html](http://rockhoundingar.com/locations/magcove.html) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamond-prospecting-in-arkansas/130887/7 "2002-10-05T00:43:20Z")
[The mine in Colorado](http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/amber/go340/students/laird/diamond3.html) was a commercial operation for a few years (IIRC late 80’s). Last I heard it has closed, but you can still get sample diamonds from the site at rock shows. There have been rumors of commercial mines opening up in Wisconsin since the late 70’s. Nothing ever seems to come of it though. Perhaps investors are scared off by tales of Hodags stalking the north woods? ---
**Author:** ![Opus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/858c86/32.png) [@Opus1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opus1)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamond-prospecting-in-arkansas/130887/8 "2002-10-05T01:35:12Z")
Have heard from a rather dubious source that DeBeers bought the land and donated it to the US govt. to be used as a park to avoid any competition for their monopoly. Any truth to this? ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamond-prospecting-in-arkansas/130887/9 "2002-10-05T02:12:46Z")
I’m having the damnest time finding any backing online, but a mining engineer who I trust in _most_ things told me that DeBeers in fact has been trying to buy CoD for a while, and almost succeeded in buying development rights by going through a Canadian “shadow company”, but these attempts have all been rejected. He claimed that there was an extreme amount of hostility in Arkansas towards DeBeers as a result…wish I could find some info to see if that is true. One really cool mineral that you can buy very cheap in Arkansas, and very few other places, is Wavelite. I have some great specimens, with very round, nearly flawless nodules, which I purchased for under $3 a piece. At a mineral show in Surrey, UK, I was at earlier this year, pieces far inferior to mine were selling at about $30-$40. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamond-prospecting-in-arkansas/130887/10 "2002-10-05T02:46:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Opus1 \* > \*\*Have heard from a rather dubious source that DeBeers bought the land and donated it to the US govt. to be used as a park to avoid any competition for their monopoly. Any truth to this? \*\* Do you mean the the Colorado/Wyoming mine? Beleve I saw where it was sold to commercial interests and will return to operating soon. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diamond-prospecting-in-arkansas/130887/11 "2002-10-05T02:47:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Opus1 \* > \*\*Have heard from a rather dubious source that DeBeers bought the land and donated it to the US govt. to be used as a park to avoid any competition for their monopoly. Any truth to this? \*\* Do you mean the the Colorado/Wyoming mine? Believe I saw where it was sold to commercial interests and will return to operating soon.