The Brown Rice Diamond
A big diamond was registered at the Crater of Diamonds State Park on February 18, 2010 by G lenn W. Worthington. He found his first ten diamonds in Arkansas in the summer of 1978, but this is the largest one he has found in all those years of searching. It is a 2.13-carat, light brown diamond with an unusually dull, matte finish.
It is an elongated diamond crystal that has yielded itself well to a marquise cut. In its natural, uncut form it bears the shape and color of extra large grain of brown rice. Because of this stark similarity, Glenn and his wife, Cindy, have decided to name it, “The Brown Rice Diamond.” It also seems appropriate because two of the main images on the Arkansas quarter are that of rice and a diamond. The U.S. Mint has made nearly 750 million of these quarters and they will be in circulation for at least thirty years.
When they receive it back from the cutter, they were very pleased with it. Typically diamonds lose half of their original weight when they are cut. This diamond had not lost that much. It still remained a fairly large and heavy diamond weighing in at 1.21 carats. And it looked beautiful! It no longer resembled brown rice at all. It had measured 4.4mm deep X 5mm wide X 10.9mm long when it was found. After cutting, it measured 3.70mm deep X 4.81mm wide X 10.70 mm long. So, it really did not lose much of its size at all.
Next, they sent the cut diamond to the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, California, for grading. When they received the diamond and the grade report back, the paperwork verified that the color was an evenly saturated, natural, fancy, yellowish brown. These experts determined the clarity to be “VVS2,” which is much better than is usually available for purchase through a jewelry store. This “VVS2” rating stands for “Very, very slight inclusion.” This means that any inclusion or blemish is so small or insignificant that it is difficult to locate under 10x magnification. The GIA also noted that under black light this diamond had a strong, blue fluorescence. This characteristic does not increase the value any, but it is another mark of its uniqueness. Western & Eastern Treasure Magazine recognized this diamond as one of the Best Finds of 2010.
Glenn has produced a DVD called, “How to Find Genuine Diamonds in Arkansas.” He is also the author of the book, “Genuine Diamonds Found in Arkansas.”
ARKANSAN FINDS STUNNING 2.04-CARAT YELLOW DIAMOND DUBBED THE EASTER SUNRISE DIAMOND AT ARKANSAS CRATER OF DIAMONDS STATE PARK
Glenn W. Worthington has visited Arkansas’ diamond site, the Crater of Diamonds State Park, many times since 1978. His time spent prospecting in the park’s 37 ½-acre diamond search area has been rewarded many times with diamond finds. However, all of his diamonds except for one have weighed under a carat. On Thursday, April 9, 2009, Worthington discovered a diamond that weighed more than two carats. It was a stunning 2.04-carat canary diamond he named "The Easter Sunrise Diamond."
This huge, beautiful diamond was in the last bucket he planned to wash before shutting down for the Easter weekend. The diamond has a smooth, lustrous surface with no cracks or internal spots of graphite. It is an elongated, complete crystal that would yield itself well to a marquise cut, but Glenn and his wife Cindy do not plan to cut this special diamond. Worthington dubbed his bright yellow stone "The Easter Sunrise Diamond" because that is what he thought of when he saw it glowing up at him from his screen full of gravel.
Margi Jenks, one of the park geological interpreters on staff at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, noted, “It is Glenn’s persistence and passion for the Crater of Diamonds State Park that finally paid off with this beautiful gem.”
According to Park Superintendent Tom Stolarz, “The gem’s canary color is a bright yellow, very remindful of the yellow on an American Goldfinch.”
Crater of Diamonds State Park is the world’s only diamond-producing site open to the public. Diamonds come in all colors of the rainbow. The three most common colors found at the park are white, brown and yellow, in that order.
Stolarz said that canary diamonds are often found at the park and are included in the list of the Crater of Diamond’s notable diamond finds. Because of the brightness of their yellow color, canary diamonds are sometimes referred to as lemon or lemon drop stones. Stolarz continued, “Here at the Crater of Diamonds, canary diamonds are among the most sought after stones by our park visitors.”
