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Spectacular Diamonds Found At The Park
Although most stones found are small, some spectacular specimens have been found. The “Uncle Sam Diamond,” the largest diamond ever found in North America, was found there in 1924. This pale brown, 40.23 carat stone was found in 1924 by W. O. Bassum. It was cut into an emerald-cut gem weighing 12.42 carats which was…
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Pay-to-Prospect Mining
In the early 1950s the property was opened as a public pay-to-prospect mine, and in 1951 the name was changed to the “Crater of Diamonds.” The State of Arkansas purchased the property in 1972 and began operating it as “Crater of Diamonds State Park.” It is still open year-round as a pay-to-prospect mine visited by…
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Inspiration from Africa
The big diamond rushes in Africa occurred in the late 1800s, and information about the deposits there was widely published. Prior to Huddlestone’s discovery, geologists at the Arkansas State Geological Survey suspected that diamonds might occur in the greenish peridotite soils near Murfreesboro because they were similar to the soils above the African diamond deposits. They did fieldwork…
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Who Discovered Crater of Diamonds?
Diamonds were first discovered at this location in 1906 when John Huddlestone found two strange crystals in the soil of his farm. He didn’t realize that his farm was right above a volcanic pipe filled with lamproite (a volcanic rock formed from partially melted mantle materials which sometimes contains diamond-bearing rocks known as xenoliths that have been…
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Crater of Diamonds State Park
This diamond mine is located near Murfreesboro, Arkansas. For a fee of a few dollars you can enter the mine, search all day and keep any diamonds that you find. In addition to diamonds, you might find one of the many colorful gemstones that occur naturally there. These include: amethyst, agate, jasper, garnet, peridot, hematite and many others. The diamonds at the Park occur in…
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Where Can You Find Diamonds?
If you have a strong interest in gemstones, you would probably love to have an opportunity to mine for diamonds yourself. Here’s where you can go – it is the only producing diamond mine in the United States and the only diamond mine in the world where you can be the miner. Diamonds Found at the Mine: This small…
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About Using Tiffany Stone in Jewelry
Although Tiffany Stone can be very attractive, there is an important thing to consider when using in jewelry – it has a Mohs hardness of only 5 to 5 1/2. That makes it very easy to scratch. If Tiffany Stone is used in a ring, it will quickly show signs of wear and lose its nice polish…
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Where Can You Buy Tiffany Stone?
Jewelry made with Tiffany stone is unlikely to be found in a mall jewelry store. Instead, it is most likely to be sold at a gem and mineral show, at a rock shop, or by a lapidarist at a craft show. You might also find it at an online craft marketplace such as Etsy. Some of…
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Other Names for Tiffany Stone
The most appropriate name for Tiffany stone is “opal fluorite” or “opalized fluorite.” These names reasonably represent the composition of most specimens. Another popular name is “bertrandite.” That name is incorrect because bertrandite is a mineral, which only comprises a few percent of the rock known as Tiffany stone. It is also called “ice cream stone”…
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Where Is Tiffany Stone Found?
Tiffany stone is a rare material. It is mined at one location worldwide – the Brush Wellman beryllium mine, at Spor Mountain, western Utah. It occurs there as nodules that are part of the ore produced at the mine. The nodules typically contain between one and two percent beryllium by weight. The United States Geological Survey reports…