The Crater of Diamonds
State Park

by Lin Stone

How Hard Are Diamonds? 

No matter how it’s made, a diamond scores a 10 on the Mohs scale. 

1. Easily scratched by a fingernail. 
2. Just scratched by a fingernail. 
3. Scratches and is scratched by a copper coin. 
4. Not scratched by a copper coin and doesn’t scratch. 
5. Just scratches glass and is easily scratched by a knife. 
6. Easily scratches glass and is just scratched by a file. 
7. Not scratched by a file. 
8. Scratched only by corundum and diamond. 
9. Will scratch anything but a diamond. 
10.Scratched only by another diamond. 

  Just how good are these American diamonds?
Are they almost as hard as
the commercial diamonds pouring out of Africa?
Are they almost as hard as
the commercial diamonds pouring out of Africa and Western Austrailia?

"Well," says Shirley. "When your African diamond gets too tough to be cut with another African diamond, you can always call in an American diamond to finish the job."

   Yes.  It's a fact.

American diamonds are 20% harder than African diamonds.

More importantly, says Shirley,
"Finding American diamonds is luckier."

Ten of the Most Famous Diamonds and who owns Them: 

There are more than 350 named diamonds that are famous for their histories. 

The Cullinan is the largest cut diamond in the world. It was found in South Africa and was named for the owner of the mining company. The Cullinan diamond was 3106 carats, and was cut into 105 stunning diamonds. The largest was named the “Star of Africa” and is 530 carats. In 1907 this diamond was given to King Edward VII of England, and set into the Royal Scepter. It is kept, along with the other Crown Jewels, in the Tower of London. 

The Cullinan II is 317.40 carats. The color is white and is the cushion-shaped diamond that is in the center-front of the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain. It is also in the Tower of London with the British Crown Jewels. 

The Dary-i-Nur is 186 carats, is pink and is in the Iranian Treasury. It is the largest uncut diamond in the world. Its name means “Sea of Light”. 

The Dresden Green is 41 carats; it is green, and a very rare type ila diamond of extraordinary quality. It gets its name from the city of Saxony where it had been on display for 200 years. The Dresden Green is now on display at the Albertinium Museum in Dresden. 

The Hope Diamond is 45.52 carats, is blue, and is in the Smithsonian Institute. According to legend, a curse was placed on the large, blue diamond after it was stolen from an idol in India. Whether you believe in curses or not, the diamond has had a fascinating past – it was owned by King Louis XIV, stolen during the French Revolution, sold to pay gambling debts, owned and worn almost daily by an American heiress, sold and worn to raise money for charity, and finally donated to the Smithsonian Museum. 

The Hortensia is 20 carats, is peach colored and is in the Louvre. It is one of the crown Jewels of France, and was owned by Louis XIV. It was named after Hortense de Beauharnais, Queen of Holland, who was the daughter of the Empress Josephine, the stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte and the mother of Napoleon III. 

The Kohinoor is 108.93 carats, white and is located in the Tower of London. As with many of the most famous diamonds, there is a curse of death and destruction attached to it. Its name means “Mountain of Light” and legend has it that it actually comes from another diamond also rife with legend, called the “Great Mogul" which was said to have weighed 244 carats and mysteriously disappeared in 1665. The Kohinoor was owned by the first sultan of Mogul, and passed down through generations, until it was given to Queen Victoria. It was recut and now rests in the crown of Queen Elizabeth. 

The Orloff is 189.62 carats. It is thought to have weighed about 300 carats when it was discovered. For a while, it was confused with the Great Mogul diamond. One legend of the Orloff is that it was set in the eye of a god statue in the temple of Sri Rangen, and stolen by a French soldier dressed up like a Hindu. He is said to have escaped by swimming down a raging river during a storm. It was eventually sold to Prince Gregory Orloff. In an attempt to win back her heart, he gave it to Catherine the Great, who collected lovers and precious gems with equal passion. She had the diamond mounted on top of the double eagle in the Imperial scepter. It is in the Russian Diamond Fund, Moscow. 

The Spoonmaker Diamond has many legends associated with it. (It supposedly got its name when the owner--who is said to have found it sitting on top of a pile of garbage --bartered it to a spoonmaker for three wooden spoons.) More likely is that it was purchased by a Frenchman named Pikot, who bought it from the Maharajah of Madras in India. He took it to France, but was robbed. The diamond ended up at an auction, and was bid on by the notorious Casanova. It was finally bought by Napoleon’s mother, Letizia Ramolino, who later sold her jewelry to help her son escape from Elba. It was bought again by an officer of Tepedelenli, and put into the treasury. When Tepedelenli was killed during a revolt, the entire treasury went to the Palace of Turkey, and the Spoonmaker’s Diamond, now called the “Kasicki” is there. 

The Taylor-Burton Diamond is a 69 carat pear-shaped white diamond that was originally called the “Cartier Diamond” after the jeweler paid $1,050,000 for it at an auction. Richard Burton purchased it the day after the auction for Elizabeth Taylor. She later renamed it the Taylor-Burton diamond. Ms. Taylor wore the diamond publicly at a party for Princess Grace’s 40th birthday party in Monaco. She sold the diamond in 1978 and used the funds to build a hospital in Botswana. The diamond was later purchased by Robert Mouawad. 

      "The Crater of Diamonds Park provides a unique opportunity," says Michael Hall, Park Superintendent. "Finding a diamond worth thousands is roughly just a matter of luck. No special tools are needed, no special talent is required. Anyone walking through these doors has an equal opportunity to find the diamond of their dreams!"

    He's right. Besides one place called Cherokee in California, the mine at Murfreesboro is the only area diamonds have been found in America! The Uncle Sam weighed 40.23 carats. The Star of Murfreesboro weighed 34.25, Star of Arkansas 15.33 Since 1972 more than 19,473 diamonds have been found here, for a total weight of 3,903.84 carats. 571 of these weighed more than one carat. The park service offers everything you could possibly need to find your own diamonds with, including Cokes and candy bars.

    Without charge you can see exhibits, demonstrations, literature and beautiful photos. For actual digging a nominal fee of $4 for adults and $2 for children six and up is charged.

     More than 40,000 people come from all around the world annually to try their luck in the 35 acres of cleared field at the Crater. (The park is actually 888 pine-covered acres along the banks of the Little Missouri River)

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    It is an economical expedition for anyone.

RV camping spaces are available for $6.50 a night. There are 60 Class A campsites, picnic areas, restaurants, laundry, bath houses, playgrounds and dump station.

The Queen of Diamonds looks like the place to stay if you can't rough it at camp. This is a renovated 1902 Victorian home. It will delight you with its authentic furnishing. It is only two miles from the Crater so it is easy to zip out there with the first light of day.
    For Southern variety there are several buffet-type restaurants in town which are just downright friendly.

    Shirley is in love with the Murfreesboro area. "Besides being famous for diamonds, Murfreesboro is centrally located to one large lake and two beautiful rivers. There are hiking trails, great fishing and hunting. On the Little Missouri you can snag a rainbow trout below the dam, while above it, small mouth bass are waiting for you. The nearby Caddo River is regarded as the top small mouth stream in Arkansas."
        There are winding stairs at Albert Pike for hiking. Lake Greeson is a close attraction too. On the west and south side of the lake is public hunting area. Whitetail deer, eastern wild turkey, squirrel and rabbits are plentiful. The bird watching is great. 200 species have been confirmed in this area, including 80 breeding species. Eagles can often be seen soaring over the lake.

    "It's the prettiest lake I ever saw," says Shirley. "There are five thousand beautiful acres of clear water here in Lake Greeson. You will find camping facilities with four marinas and outstanding resorts."

    Rock hunting in the crater is great for many other stones too. Jasper, agate, quartz, amethyst, calcite, barite, mica, and kimberlite are found in abundance. Mica has a bad reputation of course and is known as Fool's Gold.

    Shirley has dug up samples of most of the gems found there as well as fossils, and says that you can find garnets at the mine too. "In fact, when you get down to the garnets that is the best indicator in the world that you will find a diamond nearby."

    Down there among the garnets Shirley has found a one-carat 50 silver cape, a really rare diamond It was the only silver cape found in 20 years. She has a small red diamond, which is also very rare. In fact, there are only three known finds of red diamonds. "The most common diamonds are clear white, yellow and brown."

To get to the Crater of Diamonds from Little Rock go 67 miles south on Interstate 30. At Arkadelphia there is a highly visible sign telling you to follow Highway 26 to visit the Crater of Diamonds. Right after you get off the freeway Highway 26 bears to the left and the signs are not adequate to get you on the right road without some neck-craning. After that, the road there is lined with pines and towering oak. You will also pass through the town of Delight on your way. It is known for being the hometown of Glenn Campbell, the entertainer.

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   The 60 class A campsites are cool, clean and spacious. The trees are a mix of oak and pine, giving heady scents to the air year round. You will find (at different times of the year) up to 160 varieties of birds in this area, including the majestic Bald Eagle once in a blue moon.

    Just down the road from the park entrance, about 1/4 of a mile on Hwy 301, is the Miner's Camping & Rock Shop. It has 30 shaded sites. The most expensive of them are the eleven full hookup spaces, going for only $12.50.

    "This is the only place in 30 miles that does have full hook up facilities," says the owner. Tents or car spaces go for only $8.60 a night, but if you hook up an air conditioner that is $2.00 extra. The best deal they have going though are something brand new there called the little miner's cottages. These were so new that the sawdust was still fresh when I visited. For just ten bucks a night you can sleep inside on two real beds, with a fan. There wasn't a skeeter in the house. Free firewood was supplied for all the sites, with stones set up for cookouts.

    The owners of Miner's Camping are great fun to be with and full of enthusiastic knowledge about diamonds, opals, and mining. Not only that, they can tell you about hunting fossils like these in their store.

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Shirley stays there frequently too, when she isn't off Daniel Booneing somewhere.

    There is a Ka-Do-Ha Indian Village nearby, which Shirley says it is worth the time. Of course, if Shirley had her way she'd keep you there all year looking at sites in the county that she knows like the back of her hand.

The bird watching is great. 200 species have been confirmed in this area, including 80 breeding species. The Bald Eagles are much more frequently seen soaring over Lake Greeson.   "When those eagles dive for a fish it is like an explosion. They go all the way under, come out and circle around the lake a few times to show off their catch. Lake Greeson is the prettiest lake I ever saw," says Shirley.

"There are five thousand beautiful acres of clear water here. You will find camping facilities with four marinas and outstanding resorts."

    I was especially delighted with the boats for rent at the Swaha Lodge. Six people, all day, uncrowded, for $60 Boats big enough for ten people are $100 for all day. Some of the water here is 500 feet deep so bring diving gear if you want to touch bottom.

    Even if you don't feel lucky,
    this is a trip you really want to take.  Right?
    I'll see you there!

Here is the author    Lin Stone,
out looking for his lucky rock.

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Eager to learn more about the diamond crater at Murfreesboro?
Click HERE.

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