A Lepanto man just learned he found a 4.87-carat diamond this spring. Jerry Evans visited Crater of Diamonds State Park for the first time this year and within ten minutes of entering the park, he found what he thought was a piece of glass.
A release from the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism says he put the glass in his pocket with the rest of his finds from the day. Evans told the department he and his girlfriend “were picking up everything thinking it was a diamond.”
Eventually, though, Evans couldn’t contain his curiosity and sent the stone to the Gemological Institute of America for identification. A few weeks later, he learned his clear piece of glass was actually a diamond.
Evans told the department that “when they called and told me it was real, I was tickled to death!”
Assistant park superintendent Waymon Cox said it’s not uncommon for people to ask him to identify something they’ve found, but “this is the first time someone has contacted [him] after they’ve had a diamond identified by the GIA.”
Cox said Evans has since taken the diamond back to the park to have it officially registered.
This is the largest find registered at the park since 2020. Kevin Kinard of Maumelle discovered a 9.07-carat brown diamond on Labor Day that year.
The park says Evans has decided to name his diamond the “Evans Diamond”. Many diamond-finders choose to name the diamonds they find at the state park.
Source: DCLA
