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How to Dig For Diamonds & Semi-Precious Stones in the US

Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, is a very unique state park. Located on over 37 acres of field, this is the only diamond deposit site in the world where guests are invited to dig for diamonds and other precious stones and are allowed to keep their treasures. The Strawn-Wagner Diamond, the most flawless gem the American Gem Society has ever certified, was found in 1990 at the park. And the Uncle Sam Diamond was discovered by W.O. Basham in 1924--the diamond weighed in at over 40 carats. If you've decided that you'd like to take a shot at finding your own diamond or precious gem, you'll need just a few things to begin a potential successful dig.

Things You'll Need

(All optional)
Small flowerbed trowel
Cultivator
Small shovel
Sifting screen

Instructions

- 1
  Dig for the diamonds and precious stones. Use your shovel to dig through the first foot of soil. Use a small cultivator or hand shovel to simply lift up the soil and allowing it to fall back down to the earth. While the soil is falling, keep a good eye on the soil looking for diamonds or gems. Using a sift screen may help you find the stones as well. Dig up a few hand shovelfuls of soil, pouring the soil into the sifting screen. Slowly, raise the screen into the air. The tiny pieces of dirt, gravel and soil will fall through the screen leaving larger objects--large pieces of gravel, possible diamonds or gems--inside the screen.
- 2
  Surface search the grounds. According to the Crater of Diamonds State Park website, this may be one of the best ways to find diamonds and precious stones. Simply walk up and down the continuous rows of soil--the field is plowed making the soil form into "rows." Get low to the ground so you can see any stones lying on the dirt. This is the best way to find the precious stones after the area has had a large rainfall. This is because the rain will wash a lot of soil away, exposing the diamonds and precious gems on the surface.
- 3
  Search for the diamonds and gems like a pro. This method requires a lot of patience and hard work. Use a shovel to dig deep holes into the soil. Remove some of the soil and wash it thoroughly through several different sifting screens. Separate, by hand, the different gravels that are left in the screens. Wash each gravel by hand to determine if any are small diamonds. This method is used best by someone with prior knowledge of diamond hunting.
- 4
  Understand what it is that you are looking for. When diamonds are found in soil they tend to be smooth with an oily film covering them. They are also rounded in shape. And although it would fantastic to find a carated diamond, the average size is that of a match head. The common diamond colors found at Crater of Diamonds State Park are white, yellow and brown.
  In addition to diamonds, over 40 different gems and rocks can be found--lamproite, amethyst, banded agate, jasper, peridot, garnet, quartz and barite, to name a few.

Rock Collecting